Amendment X
Powers Reserved to the States and the People
Ratified December 15, 1791
The Tenth Amendment is the constitutional anchor of federalism. It was long treated as a truism with little independent force, but New York v. United States (1992) and Printz v. United States (1997) revitalized it as a genuine limit on federal commandeering of state governments and officers.
Full Text
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Annotated Version
The Bill of Rights document includes phrase highlights and court case references for this amendment.
Constitutional Framework
Original Text
U.S. Constitution
Articles I–VII (1787). The three branches, enumerated powers, and the framework these amendments modify.
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Amendments I–X
Bill of Rights
Ratified December 15, 1791. Freedom of religion, speech, press, arms, due process, and more.
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Amendments XI–XXVII
Later Amendments
Ratified 1795–1992. Abolition of slavery, equal protection, women's suffrage, and more.
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