Constitution
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 233 U.S. 604 - Gompers v. United States · 1914Most cited · 379 citing opinions
organic, living institutions
The provisions of the Constitution are not mathematical formulas having their essence in their form; they are organic, living institutions transplanted from English soil. Their significance is vital, not formal; it is to be gathered not simply by taking the words and a dictionary, but by considering their origin and the line of their growth.
How the Supreme Court has restated “Constitution”
Each Supreme Court definition of “Constitution,” sized by how often later courts cited it. “Change” is measured by wording overlap with earlier definitions — a rough signal, not a semantic judgment.
How often courts cite the cases defining “Constitution”
Court decisions citing the 3 opinions that defined “Constitution” — 727 in all, by decade. Counts are citations to the defining cases as a whole, not verified uses of the term. The dip in the most recent years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the latest years.
All 3 definitions, chronological · 1809–1914
- ORIGINAL
A constitution, from its nature, deals in generals, not in detail. Its framers cannot perceive minute distinctions which arise in the progress of the nation, and therefore confine it to the establishment of broad and general principles.
deals in generals, not detail
The constitution of the United States was made for the whole people of the Union, and is equally binding upon all the Courts and all the citizens.
binding on all