Who/what does the US constitution apply to?

Question

Does it apply to American citizens, people living in America, people fighting america, people that broke laws inside america but were just travelling there, or something else?

and it can not apply to everybody because then it is international law...and that would over-ride the UN, wouldn't it?

Answer 1

The Constitution applies to the government of the United States. It's the rules that say what powers the various branches have and do not have.

Some of the amendments refer to "the rights of the people" (to bear arms, to be secure in their persons, etc.) "The people" refers to US citizens and legal visitors and immigrants. It does not apply to non-citizens outside of US territory.

There are some gray areas, like whether it includes illegal immigrants. The present administration puts forth the theory that it doesn't apply to "enemy combatants", in the same way that it doesn't apply to spies for foreign countries apprehended on US soil, even if they are US citizens. The Supreme Court, which is the final adjudicator of the language of the Constitution, is still working on that.

Answer 2

The US Constitution has only negative rights in it. These apply to everyone in these United States. If the Constitution had positive rights those would only apply to US citizens.

Answer 3

The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. It applies to all Americans. Any law or treaty that violates it is null and void.

All military personnel, civil servants, elected public servants and functionaries of government federal, state and local take an oath to the Constitution.

In our republic, besides establishing the rules of government, the Constitution, particularly the first ten amendments, know as the Bill of Rights, codify what some of the Rights of the American people are.

Our Constitution is not like the constitutions of other nations. It doesn't say that we have a right, except as provided by law. It says "Congress shall make no law". Our Rights are come from our Creator, and they are unalienable. No legitimate government can take them away.

You can see how criminal politicians have usurped the Rights of the American people, because the people, in their apathy, have allowed them to do it. We need to elect politicians who take their oath to the Constitution seriously. And the American people have to wake up and read their Constitution, and see what our politicians have been doing to us.

Obviously, the laws of the land, including th Constitution apply to foreign visitors to the US, just as the laws of a foreign nation apply to us when we visit that nation.

Answer 4

It applies to American citizens born or naturalized. The military is subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. People who broke the law inside America are subjected to our justice system.

Answer 5

It depends. Some provisions apply only to U.S. Citizens (such as the right to vote), most provisions apply to all those people on American soil (like the criminal procedure rights to confront witnesses, right to counsel, right to remain silent, or the first amendment rights to free speech). The U.S. Constitution applies to the U.S. and its territories (which is why the Government didn't get away with holding prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba without charge, because of the treaties that ceded that land to the U.S. at the end of the Spanish-American War).

Answer 6

The American Constitution, (like all other national constitutions) has NO MEANING whatsoever.
There are MAJOR forces at work that use World governments as their 'puppets'.

Media moguls are among 'THE FEW' that actually 'rule' this world.

All 'constitutions' are interpreted to suit whatever situation the world finds itself on the day.

Much like all the different religions mis-interpreting 'exactly the same text' from the bible in so many different ways.

Check out 'Universal Soldier' below.

Pete.

Answer 7

As I understand it the language is of "persons" and not limited, as some think, to citizens. The 13th Amendment (slavery abolition) gave personhood AND citizenship, de jure if not defacto, to previous slaves. As above, the status of fiat "enemy combatant" fabricated by the Dumbya Coup is not one supported by the Constitution.

Answer 8

Americans and Americans only.

Answer 9

It applies to anyone with 2 feet on US territory.

Answer 10

It applies to US law. And even foreigners who break US law are still operating under our laws. That's how extradition works...if I break a law in the middle east, I am subject to THEIR laws, not US laws. And illegals are subject to our laws, whenever we get around to enforcing them, that is...