The Seventh Amendment
The Seventh Amendment circa 1789...
The Seventh Amendment circa 2022...
The Seventh Amendment states "In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.”
For further information, the Annenberg Guide to the United States Constitution offers insight on the meaning of the Seventh Amendment.
This amendment seems pretty straightforward, guaranteeing your right to have a civil case tried before a jury if the dollar value in dispute is more than $20. Note though, that this guarantee applies only in federal courts. The 7th Amendment is a rare case in which the Supreme Court has not incorporated a liberty from the Bill of Rights to set limits on state governments. Incorporation works through the 14th Amendment (sorry -- this gets a little complicated). The 14th Amendment says the states cannot deny people due process of law. Early in the 20th Century, the Supreme Court began using that language in the 14th Amendment to extend parts of the Bill of Rights to the states. This summary of important 14th Amendment cases from the National Constitution Center highlights the historic turning point after which the Supreme Court began applying the Bill of Rights to the states in earnest. You're probably familiar with a number of these cases and the civil liberties they expand. The 7th Amendment, alongside the 3rd Amendment, remain the only amendments of the Bill of Rights to not be incorporated.