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The 27th Amendment to the Constitution prevents any law changing the pay of senators and representatives from taking effect until after the next election of the House of Representatives.

1992

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 27th Amendment

"No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened."

When did the states ratify the 27th Amendment?

Congress proposed this amendment on September 25, 1789. Ratification was completed on May 7, 1992, when the 38th state, Michigan, approved the amendment, with 50 states in the Union at the time. Maryland was the first state to approve, 85 days after the amendment was proposed. Nebraska was the last state to approve, 82,700 days after the amendment was proposed.

Michigan completed ratification of the 27th Amendment.

Date of ratification by state, 27th Amendment

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How has the 27th 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 have been zero cases where a court struck down laws as unconstitutional using the 27th Amendment.

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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.