If you google “third amendment,” an article I published last week is the top news article! That’s because the third amendment is rarely relevant. But it is now!
I think (and argued) that hotels have a right not to house ICE agents. Yes, really.
The Third Amendment is America’s most forgotten amendment. It doesn’t get a lot of airtime. But if you want a quick constitutional refresher, gather ‘round!
The Third Amendment says the government can’t force people to “quarter” or house soldiers in their home during peacetime without consent.
Full stop.
The Founders were reacting to British troops being quartered in civilian spaces—homes, inns, taverns—and, for maximum audacity, colonists were required to provide them with things like rum and water. Nothing says empire like forced hospitality.
Imagine having to quarter some British bellend in your house and also they’re drinking all your ale.
So the slavers who founded this country wrote a rule: the government does not get to embed armed agents in private space without consent.
They thought the amendment was so important it came right after the one about bearing arms.
