Editing Amnesty Act (section)

== Legacy ==
The Amnesty Act of 1872 states that all political disabilities imposed by the Fourteenth Amendment "are hereby removed," but does not explicitly mention whether future disabilities under the same amendment are also to be considered removed. In March 2022, in the aftermath of the [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|January 6 US Capitol attack]], the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina|US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina]] ruled that the Act applies even to current members of Congress, automatically removing the political consequences of any alleged violation of Section 3.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Praats |first=Michael |date=4 March 2022 |title=Federal Judge Shuts Down Attempt to Keep Madison Cawthorn Off Ballots |work=[[WECT]] |url=https://www.wect.com/2022/03/04/federal-judge-shuts-down-attempt-keep-madison-cawthorn-off-ballots/ |access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref> The [[United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit]] unanimously reversed that ruling.<ref>{{cite court |litigants=Cawthorn v. Amalfi |vol=35 |reporter=F.4th |opinion=245 |pinpoint=248 |court=[[United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit|4th Cir.]] |date=2022 |url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=16702568991406153966 |quote=Consistent with the statutory text and context, we hold that the 1872 Amnesty Act removed the Fourteenth Amendment's eligibility bar only for those whose constitutionally wrongful acts occurred before its enactment.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-congress-north-carolina-primary-126d31acbcae9c10357e27c968728083 |title=After Cawthorn's Loss, Candidate Challenge Ruling Reversed |last=Robertson |first=Gary D. |date={{date|24 May 2022}} |website=AP News |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |access-date={{date|15 June 2022}}|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240714114015/https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-congress-north-carolina-primary-126d31acbcae9c10357e27c968728083|archive-date=July 14, 2024}}</ref> A different federal district court ruled that the Act does not apply to current members of Congress, and that Section 3 is still applicable.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/taylor-greene-insurrectionist-challenge-cleared-by-u-s-judge|title=Taylor Greene Insurrection Challenge Cleared by U.S. Judge|last=Holland|first=John|date={{date|April 19, 2022}}|website=Bloomberg Law|publisher=[[Bloomberg L.P.]]|access-date={{date|14 May 2022}}}}</ref> The plaintiff's appeal to the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit]] was dismissed as moot after it was determined that she had not violated Section 3.<ref>{{cite court |litigants=Greene v. Beaudrot |vol=___ |reporter=F.4th |opinion=___ |court=[[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit|11th Cir.]] |date=2022 |url=https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/202211299.pdf}}</ref>