Opinion ID: 789765
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the text and function of the eleventh amendment

Text: 9 We start, as always, with the text. The Eleventh Amendment states: 10 The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State. 5 11 These forty-three words — adopted in swift response to the Supreme Court's holding in Chisholm v. Georgia 6 that Article III permitted a state to be sued in federal court 7 — protect states from such litigation. 8 The protection thus afforded, however, has long since been expanded beyond the plain text of the Amendment. Though its precise terms bar only federal jurisdiction over suits brought against one State by citizens of another State or foreign state, the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Amendment has recognized that the Eleventh Amendment accomplished much more. 9 The immunity afforded to states under the Eleventh Amendment implicates the fundamental constitutional balance between the Federal Government and the States. 10 Therefore, at its core, the Eleventh Amendment serves as an essential component of our constitutional structure. 11 12 Nevertheless, Eleventh Amendment immunity is not absolute. A number of different circumstances may lead to a state's litigating in federal court absent Eleventh Amendment immunity. We begin with an overview of the Court's current framework for assessing when a suit against a state may proceed in federal court. 13