The Federalist (Federalist Papers)
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The Federalist (Federalist Papers) authority
A set of 85 essays written in 1787–1788 by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay urging ratification of the Constitution. Courts cite them as strong evidence of what the Constitution was meant to do — but they are not binding law.
Technical: Eighty-five essays published under the pseudonym 'Publius' (Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay) advocating ratification; frequently cited by courts as persuasive evidence of the Constitution's original meaning and intent, not as binding authority.
Founding-era note: The Federalist is contemporaneous with ratification, which is why it carries unusual interpretive weight; the Anti-Federalist writings supply the opposing founding-era view.
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