Oops! What went wrong with the Constitution online?
Hey folks, you may have noticed a mysterious disappearance of some big constitutional sections—no worries, because we’ve cracked the puzzle and restored everything!
So, what caused this glitch?
The Library of Congress, in a frantic tweet, warned that a coding error was at play. But the real tale, as told by Bill Ryan, their Communications Director, goes a bit deeper.
- Sections 8, 9, and 10 were all wiped from Article 1 on the U.S. government’s official web page.
- This happened right as the Trump administration toyed with putting a stop to habeas corpus, sending shivers through the nation.
- Once the missing parts were spotted, the Library’s Twitter thread clarified that the problem was a bug in the XML markup that tricked the site into ignoring the rest of Article 1 after the midpoint of Section 8.
What’s XML and why does it matter?
XML is a standard language the Library uses to organize and display content on its website. Think of it as a set of boxes that tell the browser “this is where the text should go.” If one closing box is missed, everything that follows it gets hidden—just like a lost floor in an elevator!
All Good News—Everything’s Back!
They’ve fixed the bug, restored the full Constitution text, and updated the Attorney’s Annotated analysis. Plus, they’re putting a stronger safety net in place to prevent a repeat. So, sit back, read the Constitution, and maybe add a pinch of humor to your midnight legal studies.