Constitutional Amendment

Definition

A constitutional amendment is a modification or change to an existing constitution. In U.S., this requires approval by two-thirds of both houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states.

Related terms

Ratification: The act of giving formal consent to a treaty, contract or agreement, making it officially valid.

Bill of Rights: The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution that outline fundamental rights and freedoms.

Federalism: A system where power is divided between national and state governments.