Internet sleuths discovered a glaring omission from Congress’s official Constitution website. The “Constitution Annotated,” maintained by the Library of Congress, no longer includes the right of habeas corpus, which is a foundational legal protection. While the Library quickly labeled the omission a “coding issue,” critics aren’t buying it.
Featured Video“It has been brought to our attention that some sections of Article 1 are missing from the Constitution Annotated (https://constitution.congress.gov) website,” the Library of Congress tweeted. “We’ve learned that this is due to a coding error. We have been working to correct this and expect it to be resolved soon.”
AdvertisementHabeas corpus is not a fringe clause. It’s a centuries-old safeguard that allows individuals detained by the government to demand a legal explanation for their imprisonment. It is one of the few rights explicitly protected in the original U.S. Constitution. However, on the congressional site, it vanished without explanation. For many, the deletion feels far too convenient to be an honest mistake.
The Library of Congress says Habeas Corpus vanished due to a coding error
According to Above the Law, Section 9 of the Constitution contains eight clauses, including the habeas corpus guarantee. Yet, the version on Congress’s website skips the entire section.
AdvertisementThe Constitution reads, “The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.”
Notably, this isn’t just any part of the document, but it’s one that modern Republican leaders have repeatedly downplayed or ignored, especially when it comes to ICE detaining people off the streets.
President Donald Trump previewed this exact kind of constitutional erasure. In 2024, he released a branded “Trump Bible” that bundled the King James Bible with U.S. founding documents, selectively edited, of course. Gone were sections like the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees birthright citizenship, equal protection, and bans insurrectionists from office.
AdvertisementAt the time, critics mocked the omissions. Now, with Congress’s website “accidentally” omitting habeas corpus, it looks like the exclusion was purposeful.
Moreover, this alleged error didn’t appear in a vacuum. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem once struggled to define habeas corpus when questioned by Senator Maggie Hassan.
In light of all this, many people are asking whether this was truly a technical slip or a trial run for something more troubling. While the National Constitution Center still shows the correct text, official government sources carry symbolic and practical weight. If people can’t find these weighty sections of technical jargon in simple English, they may as well not even exist to them.
Advertisement@DarrigoMelanie tweeted, “If you’re deleting entire sections from the U.S. Constitution, there’s a good chance that you’re planning on violating the U.S. Constitution.”
In an update a little over four hours later, the Library of Congress X account shared that it had rectified the error, and the information on habeas corpus is back.
AdvertisementThe internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter here.
What it’s really like being Black in Russia