The Ninth Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights and was ratified on December 15, 1791. The amendment states that the enumeration of certain rights in the Constitution shall not be construed to deny or disparage other rights retained by the people. The purpose of the Ninth Amendment was to ensure that the Bill of Rights was not seen as granting only the specific rights it addressed, but rather to assert the principle that the enumerated rights are not exhaustive and final and that the listing of certain rights does not deny or disparage the existence of other rights.
Although there is much dispute among constitutional scholars about the meaning and legal effect of the Ninth Amendment, there is consensus about its origin. The amendment has generally been regarded by the courts as negating any expansion of governmental power on account of the enumeration of rights in the Constitution, but the amendment has not been regarded as further limiting governmental power. The U.S. Supreme Court has explained that if granted power is found, necessarily the objection of invasion of those rights reserved by the Ninth and Tenth Amendments must fail.
