- There have been many informal amendments to the Constitution. Unlike formal amendments, these have not changed the Constitution's actual words. These changes have come from five sources.
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- Laws
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- Congress has changed the Constitution through laws it has passed. It has done this in two ways. First, it has passed laws to fill in details about the specific ways the government works. Second, it has passed other laws that explain certain parts of the Constitution. For example, every time it passes a law about the United States Postal Service, Congress further explains the meaning of the Constitution's power to "establish post offices."
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- Executive Action
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- Presidents have also made informal changes to the Constitution. They do this when they interpret what the Constitution says about their powers, make decisions, and take action. One example is an executive agreement, or pact, that the President makes with another country's leader. Presidents use these agreements instead of making treaties, which is described in the Constitution but takes a lot of time and includes Congress.
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- Court Decisions
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- The courts, especially the U.S. Supreme Court, have done much to informally change the Constitution. Courts help explain a part of the Constitution when they rule on a case. They decide if a government action is constitutional. For example, in one case, Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court said the Constitution allowed judicial review.
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- Party Practices
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- Political parties have informally shaped what the government does. They have decided, for example, how people become government officials. Parties also affect how Congress and the President make decisions.
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- Custom
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- Customs are the usual ways people do certain things. Many customs have developed in American government. They show how government officials have decided what the Constitution means. For example, it became a custom for the heads of executive departments to form the President's cabinet. Until the 1940s, it was the custom that Presidents served no more than two terms. The Constitution did not talk about either of these issues.
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