Technical Glitch Deletes Constitutional Clause Opposed by Trump from US Government Website

Habeas Corpus: A Cornerstone of Law

In a surprising move, the online version of the United States Constitution on the Library of Congress website seemingly underwent an unintentional modification, with the deletion of a clause least favored by former President Donald Trump: "habeas corpus." This constitutional right guarantees individuals the ability to challenge the legality of their detention and requires the government to justify the reasons for their imprisonment.

"Habeas Corpus," meaning "bring the body" in Latin, is a cornerstone of Anglo-American law, protecting individuals from arbitrary and unlawful detention. Under it, a detainee or someone acting on their behalf can petition the court to compel authorities to bring the detainee before a judge to verify the legal basis for their detention. The origin of this right dates back to the Magna Carta in 1215 and was enshrined as a fundamental guarantee of individual liberties in the U.S. Constitution.

Stephen Miller, who served as Deputy Chief of Staff in the White House, had previously raised the idea of suspending "habeas corpus" to support the President's efforts to arrest and deport immigrants. In May, Miller stated, "Habeas corpus can be suspended in times of invasion, so it's an option we're seriously looking at." In turn, Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security who is helping lead Trump's mass deportation campaign, attempted to provide a misinterpretation of the constitutional right, claiming it was "a constitutional right that the president has to remove people from this country," which completely contradicts the essence of this right. Earlier this month, when Trump was asked about "due process" and his commitment to the Constitution, he replied, "I don't know."

Disappearance of the Ninth Clause and Investigations

The ninth clause of Article One of the Constitution disappeared, which states: "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," from the "Annotated Constitution" page on the Library of Congress website over the past few weeks.

By this morning, officials in the Trump administration quietly informed staff that the deletion was the result of a "technical glitch," according to informed sources. As a result, staff quickly moved to fix the issue, investigate how it happened, and review other parts of the site to ensure no other deletions occurred.

Some federal employees expressed surprise at the "technical glitch" explanation, noting that the deletion affected parts of the Constitution that the second Trump administration had actively sought to undermine publicly. A federal employee dealing with the situation sarcastically told Rolling Stone magazine, "What a funny coincidence."

The Library of Congress clarified in a post on platform X this morning that the deletion was due to a "programming error." The Library's statement read: "It has come to our attention that some sections of Article I are missing from the Annotated Constitution website. We have learned that this is due to a programming error. We are working to correct this error and expect it to be resolved soon." The site also added a notice stating: "The Annotated Constitution website is currently experiencing data issues. We are working to resolve this issue and apologize for the inconvenience."

Restoration of Clauses and Event Repercussions

By the afternoon, the deleted sections of the Constitution were restored to the page. The Library of Congress told Rolling Stone in an email: "Due to a technical error, some sections of Article I were temporarily missing from the Annotated Constitution website. This issue has been corrected, and the missing sections have been restored."

It is worth noting that merely removing a section of the US Constitution from a webpage – for an institution that is not the official custodian of the Constitution – does not change American law. But regardless of what the document says, the President and his senior officials have declared their intention to violate the Constitution as much as possible.

Trump's Bid to Control the Library of Congress

The modification of the Constitution website comes at a time when Trump Removes Constitutional Clause is seeking to control the Library of Congress, even though the agency is part of the legislative branch. The Library serves as a research arm for Congress and maintains the world's largest collection of books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, and recordings.

Last May, Trump announced the dismissal of Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, before the end of her 10-year term, and appointed Todd Blanched, who had been Trump's personal lawyer, to replace her. After a judge refused to block Hayden's termination, she filed an appeal last week with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.