Key Metrics
59.87
Heat Index-
Impact LevelMedium
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Scope LevelNational
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Last Update2025-08-07
Key Impacts
Positive Impacts (4)
Negative Impacts (3)
Event Overview
A technical coding error caused significant portions of the U.S. Constitution to disappear from the Library of Congress's official online database, raising concerns about digital governance and transparency. The incident highlights vulnerabilities in critical government infrastructure and the potential for accidental erosion of public access to foundational legal texts. It underscores the intersection of technology, institutional accountability, and the preservation of constitutional integrity in digital platforms.
Collect Records
Library of Congress Attributes Missing Constitution Sections on Annotated Website to Coding Error
On Wednesday, the Library of Congress acknowledged that significant portions of the U.S. Constitution were missing from its Constitution Annotated website due to a coding error. The affected segments included the latter part of Article I Section 8, as well as the entirety of Sections 9 and 10 of Article I. Section 8 enumerates congressional powers, which was cut off after the phrase: "To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years." Sections 9 and 10, detailing limits on congressional power and powers denied to the states, respectively, also disappeared from the site but were later restored.
A statement posted by the Library of Congress on social media said, "It has been brought to our attention that some sections of Article 1 are missing from the Constitution Annotated ...website. We've learned that this is due to a coding error." The specific technical details of the error were not disclosed. Tech news outlet TechCrunch discovered and highlighted the omissions, and archived versions of the site confirmed the deletions.
The event involved the Library of Congress, the administrators of the Constitution Annotated website, and received attention from outlets like TechCrunch. There is no evidence provided in the article of intentional tampering or involvement from other governmental offices. The missing text has since been restored online.
Library of Congress Cites 'Coding Error' for Missing Sections of Constitution on Official Website
On Wednesday, the Library of Congress acknowledged that significant sections of the U.S. Constitution temporarily disappeared from their official "Constitution Annotated" website due to what it described as a "coding error." According to both the Library's statement on social media and reporting by TechCrunch, the missing content included most of Article I, Section 8 (which outlines congressional powers), as well as the entirety of Article I Sections 9 and 10. These sections contain foundational provisions, such as the right to habeas corpus (protecting people from unlawful detention) and the foreign emoluments clause.
Archived versions of the website, reviewed by TechCrunch, showed that Article I, Section 8 trailed off after the line granting Congress authority "To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years." Subsequently, the entire text of Article I, Sections 9 (which limits congressional power) and 10 (which details powers denied to the states) was also missing until it was restored.
The Library of Congress stated: "It has been brought to our attention that some sections of Article 1 are missing from the Constitution Annotated ...website. We’ve learned that this is due to a coding error."
The news drew attention due to the importance of the omitted constitutional provisions and led to their restoration on the website after the issue was discovered.