Ratification
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Ratification constitutional
Formal approval — as when the states approved the Constitution, or when they later approve an amendment.
Technical: The act of formal approval that gives legal effect to an instrument; the Constitution was ratified by state conventions (Art. VII), and amendments are ratified per Art. V.
Founding-era note: The ratification debates (1787–1788), including The Federalist and Anti-Federalist writings, are primary evidence of original public meaning.
Sources: Constitution Annotated — Article VII
A dictionary entry is reference: it describes how a term is used. It is not itself binding law. Why that matters →
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