LeDandy, The Constitutional Scholar

I'm a big fan of the tv series "Law & Order." The defendants are constantly citing protections under the Constitution. The amendments get a good workout during a typical show. First Amendment right to free speech and freedom of the press, Second Amendment right to bear arms, and the big one - Fifth Amendment due process clause are often highlighted on the show.

But there is one amendment which is never mentioned. The sad and lonely Third Amendment. The one that prohibits the government from housing soldiers in civilian homes during peacetime. I looked on Wikipedia for an article about this forgotten law. A long, long time ago I found no case law which cited this amendment. To my surprise, I recently found a case which relied on the Third Amendment. It was Engblom v. Carey, a 1982 Second Circuit Court of Appeals case.

In the Engblom case, NY prison guards who lived at the prison went on strike. The Governor sent in the National Guard and they evicted the guards from their living quarters. The Court held that the Third Amendment applied even though the guards did not own their homes. Right on point!

Well, that is the only Third Amendment case I could find. LeDandy is an expert on this amendment. The other ones are too much work.