On March 4, 1794, Congress passed the Eleventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment limited the ability of individuals to sue states in federal court. It was a direct response to a Supreme Court case, Chisholm v. Georgia, which had allowed such lawsuits. The amendment asserted a form of state sovereign immunity at the federal level. Its passage demonstrated how quickly the constitutional system could be adjusted in response to judicial decisions. The Eleventh Amendment still shapes federal court jurisdiction and state legal protections today.
