Summary
The Library of Congress experienced a "coding error" that caused important sections of the U.S. Constitution to be temporarily missing from their Constitution Annotated website. The missing parts included fundamental rights such as the right to habeas corpus, which protects against illegal detention. The issue has now been fixed, and the website content has been restored.
Key Facts
- The issue was caused by a "coding error" that led to the deletion of parts of the U.S. Constitution from an online resource.
- Missing sections included parts of Article I, Section 8, and all of Sections 9 and 10 of Article I, which cover important government powers and limitations.
- The deleted sections featured key elements like the right to habeas corpus.
- The Wayback Machine showed these sections were present as recently as mid-July before they disappeared.
- The Library of Congress posted a statement acknowledging the issue on social media and worked to resolve it.
- Errors led to visitors encountering "Page Not Found" messages, which has since been resolved.
- This error caused public concern as these constitutional principles are central to current political and legal debates.
