Article 4 has four short sections. The legal language makes it a little boring to read, but it sets into place important rights and privileges for states and individuals.
Explanations are inserted in bold and italics after each section. The underlined blue sections have been changed by later amendment.
Transcript is from National Archives archives.gov.
Section. 1.
“Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.”
This simply means that states must respect the laws and judgments of other states.
Section. 2.
“The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.”
This is called the “Privileges and Immunities Clause”. It simply means that a citizen of one state who is in another state enjoys the same rights and privileges as residents (except in voting and election eligibility).
A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime.
This is called the “Extradition Clause”,1 which is also referred to as the Interstate Rendition Clause,2 applies to a person accused of a crime in one state who flees to another state. The Extradition Clause “preclude[s] any state from becoming a sanctuary for fugitives from justice” and “enable[s] each state to bring offenders to trial as swiftly as possible in the state where the alleged offense was committed.” (From constitution.congress.gov)
This following section was negated by Amendment 11:
Section. 3.
“New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.”
This is called the Admissions Clause. It says that new states are admitted by Congress. The first state admitted under this clause was Maine in 1791, and the most recent was Hawaii in 1959.
“The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.”
This is called the Plenary Clause. It gives Congress the power to oversee US territories and properties.
Section. 4.
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.
Article IV, Section 4 is generally known as the “Guarantee Clause.”1 Through its terms, the United States makes three related assurances to the states: (1) a guarantee of a republican form of government; (2) protection against foreign invasion; and (3) upon request by the state, protection against internal insurrection or rebellion.2 (constitution.congress.gov)
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