what is the 11th amendment

The Eleventh Amendment is an amendment to the United States Constitution that was passed by Congress on March 4, 1794, and ratified by the states on February 7, 1795. The amendment restricts the ability of individuals to bring suit against states that they are not citizens of in federal court. The Eleventh Amendment was adopted to overrule the Supreme Courts decision in Chisholm v. Georgia (1793), which held that states did not enjoy sovereign immunity from suits made by citizens of other states in federal court. The text of the Eleventh Amendment states that "The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State". The amendment has also been interpreted to mean that state courts do not have to hear certain lawsuits against states. The Eleventh Amendment did not bar all lawsuits against states in federal courts. For example, as initially interpreted, the Eleventh Amendment did not bar suits against states when a matter of federal law was at issue nor did it prevent suits brought against a state by its own citizens.