# US Law Dopers: How do I refer to this part of the US Constitution? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 22, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-law-dopers-how-do-i-refer-to-this-part-of-the-us-constitution/442338 "2008-03-22T15:09:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-law-dopers-how-do-i-refer-to-this-part-of-the-us-constitution/442338/1 "2008-03-22T15:09:32Z")
I want to refer to the second paragarph of [Article VI](http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/art6.htm) in a piece I’m writing. My problem is that I’m not sure what the convention is. Are the paragraphs numbered or not? And if so, do you call them paragraphs? Clauses? § ? According to the version published by [authority of the House and Senate, the Article reads:](http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_documents&docid=f:hd051.110.pdf) > [@](#): > > Article. VI. > > All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation. > > This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding. > > The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States. So, in this version and the [Findlaw version](http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.articlevi.html), the paragraphs aren’t numbered. But in a version published by the [Government Publishing Office](http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/pdf2002/016.pdf) , the paragraphs are numbered and referred to as clauses: > [@](#): > > Clause 2. This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby; any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding. And the [Avalon Project](http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/art6.htm) numbers the paragraphs, but doesn’t call them clauses: > [@](#): > > 1. This constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, any thing in the constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding. So, what’s the convention on citing a paragraph in the Article? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-law-dopers-how-do-i-refer-to-this-part-of-the-us-constitution/442338/2 "2008-03-22T18:10:21Z")
[QUOTE=Northern Piper] So, what’s the convention on citing a paragraph in the Article? [/QUOTE] I don’t have my Bluebook at home, so maybe one of the law school dopers will be able to help. My gut says the fact that it’s not numbered is irrelevant (in fact, until this thread it really hadn’t occurred to me that the Constitution wasn’t internally numbered 🙂 because we use clause and paragraph numbers all the time), and to cite it as U.S. Const., Art. VI, cl. 2. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-law-dopers-how-do-i-refer-to-this-part-of-the-us-constitution/442338/3 "2008-03-22T19:33:04Z")
Use the numbering and terminology of any version that takes your fancy, and specifically cite that version in your text or bibliography so your readers can consult it if they wish. So to use **Campion** ’s example > [@](#): > > U.S. Const., Art. VI, cl. 2 (per GPO [http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/pdf2002/016.pdf](http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/pdf2002/016.pdf) ) BTW it is a convention around here to warn that a link points to a .PDF file, as they can be unnervingly slow to load and give people the impression their browser has hung. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-law-dopers-how-do-i-refer-to-this-part-of-the-us-constitution/442338/4 "2008-03-23T00:48:37Z")
Thanks for the responses. So even though it’s not internally numbered, by convention numbers can be used - is that a fair summary? [QUOTE=Askance] BTW it is a convention around here to warn that a link points to a .PDF file, as they can be unnervingly slow to load and give people the impression their browser has hung. [/QUOTE] Sorry about that - I normally do it, but didn’t notice this time that I had linked to a pdf. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2008, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-law-dopers-how-do-i-refer-to-this-part-of-the-us-constitution/442338/5 "2008-03-23T03:54:55Z")
Correct citation in Bluebook style would be U.S. Const. art. VI, cl. 2. “U.S. Const.” should be in what’s generally called ‘small caps;’ in Word, you get that by hitting Ctrl-Shift-K, I think. That the Founders didn’t number it doesn’t matter–the numbering of the clauses is standard. (Frequently you’d have a section number as well, but Article VI is rather short.) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2008, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-law-dopers-how-do-i-refer-to-this-part-of-the-us-constitution/442338/6 "2008-03-23T04:18:44Z")
[QUOTE=LawMonkey] That the Founders didn’t number it doesn’t matter–the numbering of the clauses is standard. [/QUOTE] But doesn’t that interfere with the original intent? They must have had a reason not number the clauses. Isn’t this just an example of so-called ‘progressive’ interpretation? Has anyone told Antonin about this? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-law-dopers-how-do-i-refer-to-this-part-of-the-us-constitution/442338/7 "2008-03-23T15:35:00Z")
[QUOTE=Campion] … to cite it as U.S. Const., Art. VI, cl. 2. [/QUOTE] FWIW, **Northern Piper** , this rendition is exactly what the McGill Guide says to do. Pretty much the same as the Bluebook version, but nice to have another similar authority. So it shouldn’t matter if you’re writing for an American or Canadian audience; it’ll be the same either way. (FYI, Americans–the “McGill Guide” is the Canadian equivalent of the Bluebook.) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-law-dopers-how-do-i-refer-to-this-part-of-the-us-constitution/442338/8 "2008-03-25T19:54:47Z")
I’ve got a Bluebook somewhere - I really should dig it out. Thanks for the comments, everyone.