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The 18th Amendment to the Constitution prohibited the manufacture, sale and transportation of intoxicating liquors in the United States. It was later repealed by the 21st Amendment.

1919

The year this amendment was ratified in.

What is a constitutional amendment?

A constitutional amendment alters the Constitution of the United States by striking or inserting new language. The Constitution establishes the structure, powers, and responsibilities of the federal government. It has been formally amended 27 times.

The constitutional amendment process is as follows:

Step 1

Two-thirds vote

An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of state legislatures.

Step 2

Three-fourths ratification

Once proposed, the archivist of the United States submits the amendment to the states for consideration. It becomes part of the Constitution once it is ratified by three-fourths of the states.

Full text of the 18th Amendment

"Section 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited. Section 2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress."

When did the states ratify the 18th Amendment?

Congress proposed this amendment on December 18, 1917. Ratification was completed on January 16, 1919, when the 36th state, Utah, approved the amendment, with 48 states in the Union at the time. Mississippi was the first state to approve, 21 days after the amendment was proposed. New Jersey was the last state to approve, 1,500 days after the amendment was proposed.

Utah completed ratification of the 18th Amendment.

Date of ratification by state, 18th Amendment

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How has the 18th Amendment shaped Supreme Court rulings?

The Supreme Court has the power of judicial review, which is the authority to declare that federal or state government actions violate the Constitution. This power shows how individual amendments can have a lasting impact on how laws are interpreted and applied.

Under judicial review, there has been one case where the Court struck down laws as unconstitutional using the 18th Amendment.

Supreme Court cases invoking this amendment

Cases, 1798–2021

Supreme Court cases invoking this amendment
CaseYear

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Methodology

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Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.