amendments

An amendment is a formal change or addition to a legal document, such as a constitution, statute, treaty, or regulation. It modifies the document’s scope, content, or operation to reflect changing circumstances, correct ambiguities, or address unforeseen issues without rewriting the entire text.

Amendments can be substantive, altering rights or obligations, or procedural, changing how the document is amended or implemented. They may include transitional provisions that specify when changes take effect. The difficulty and procedure for making amendments vary widely between jurisdictions.

Constitutional amendment processes typically require multiple steps. A proposal stage—often involving a legislative majority or a constitutional convention—precedes a ratification stage, which may require approval by subnational units, referendums, or international consent. Time limits and supermajority thresholds are common features intended to prevent casual change.

Notable examples illustrate different purposes. In the United States, amendments are proposed by two-thirds of Congress or a national convention and ratified by three-fourths of the states. The Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments) protects freedoms of expression, religion, press, assembly, and petition, among others. Later amendments abolished slavery, guaranteed due process and equal protection, extended voting rights to women, prohibited the sale of alcohol (later repealed), and lowered the voting age to 18.

Amendments also occur to treaties and national statutes, often requiring negotiation and approval by multiple branches of government. Courts may review amendments for consistency with higher legal principles or constitutional structure to ensure legitimacy and compatibility with fundamental rights.