Also known as: people · We the People
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
The collective citizenry of a political community viewed as the source of governmental sovereignty and the holder of reserved constitutional rights and powers. This body exercises rights such as assembly and petition and receives protections against unreasonable governmental intrusions. Powers not granted to the federal government remain with the states or this collective citizenry.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Taliah Tang and a group of neighbors gather on the steps of city hall to present a signed petition protesting a new zoning rule. Local police order the group to disperse without a permit. The assembly proceeds because the right belongs to the people as a collective body exercising petition rights.
Tonya Takahashi organizes residents with intellectual disabilities to seek a special use permit for a group home in a residential neighborhood. City officials deny the permit solely because of the residents' mental condition. The denial violates equal protection because the people include all citizens regardless of disability status.
Tristan Thompson and Theresa Tucker live together for several years, share a joint bank account, and introduce themselves publicly as spouses. After a dispute arises over property, a court must decide whether a valid marriage exists. The elements are satisfied when two people exchange consent, cohabit, and hold themselves out to the community.
Tyler Taylor returns home to find federal agents inside searching without a warrant or consent. He moves to suppress evidence obtained from the search. The protection applies because the right of the people to be secure in their houses extends to all citizens against unreasonable intrusions.
Tanya Tang enters a public phone booth, closes the door, and places a call she believes is private. Government agents record the conversation without a warrant. A search occurs because the people retain a reasonable expectation of privacy even in public spaces when they take steps to keep information private.
Thunderbolt Motors employees in State A receive a federal directive requiring them to follow a national curriculum in company training programs. State officials sue to block the directive. The Tenth Amendment reserves the matter to the states or the people because the power was never delegated to the federal government.
The term refers to the collective citizenry as the sovereign body holding reserved rights and powers. Constitutional text distinguishes the people from non-citizens in provisions such as the First, Second, Fourth, and Tenth Amendments. Courts interpret these clauses as protecting the political community rather than every individual physically present.
Supporting sources
…to decide this case. The Constitution does not give this Court the authority to decide whether same-sex marriage is a good idea. The people of the States have the authority to decide that question for themselves. The majority’s decision is an act of will, not legal judgment. The Court invalidates the marriage laws of more than…
…in subordination to them. That proposition is difficult to sustain. The Constitution was submitted to conventions chosen by the people in each State, and from these conventions the Constitution derives its whole authority. The government proceeds directly from
…to enforce an obligation arising out of its activities there. International Harvester Co. v. Kentucky , 234 U. S. 579, 587; People’s Tobacco Co. v. American Tobacco Co. , 246 U. S. 79, 87; Frene v. Louisville Cement Co. , 77 U. S. App. D. C. 129, 134 F. 2d 511, 516. The court found such additional activities in the…
…Court has consistently repudiated “[distinctions between citizens solely because of their ancestry]” as being “odious to a free people whose institutions are founded upon the doctrine of equality.” Hirabayashi v. United States , 320 U. S. 81, 100 (1943). At the very least, the Equal Protection Clause demands that racial…
…injuries suffered as a result of the agents’ violation of the Fourth Amendment. Pp. 392-397. 2. The Fourth Amendment right of
The Tenth Amendment reserves powers not delegated to the United States nor prohibited to the states to the states respectively or to the people. This language confirms that ultimate sovereignty rests with the citizenry when authority is not granted to the federal government. Direct federal commands to state officials therefore exceed the enumerated powers.
Supporting sources
The Fourth Amendment protects the people against unreasonable searches and seizures by federal officers. The same protection applies to state officers through the Fourteenth Amendment incorporation doctrine. The right belongs to the collective citizenry and is not limited to federal action alone.
Supporting sources
A zoning ordinance that denies a permit solely because of residents' mental condition lacks any legitimate governmental interest. Even under rational basis review the government may not act out of mere prejudice against a class of citizens. The equal protection guarantee extends to the people as a whole without invidious distinctions.
Supporting sources