Dossier
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Coverage of Northwest Ordinance of 1787 in the Nexus archive.
- Three profound constitutional provisions – and how the Supreme Court has avoided dealing with them
The article discusses three under-addressed constitutional provisions—the 13th Amendment's exception clause, the Article IV guarantee clause, and the Third Amendment—and highlights how the Supreme Court has largely avoided interpreting them. It details the 13th Amendment's exception allowing involuntary servitude as punishment for crime, illustrated by historical cases like Lonzo Bailey's 1907 peonage conviction and the 1871 Ruffin v. Commonwealth decision.