@feld @Zettour @lain @cjd they can't, but the amendments are scoped. there are some clauses such as speech written as *congress shall enact no law* and others directly state *shall not be infringed*.

a plain reading would lead one to believe some of those things apply to the fed, and others apply to all, though much handwavium has been done by judges to ignore whatever the point of the document was to begin with.