Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits former government officials from holding public office again if they have engaged in insurrection or rebellion. The Supreme Court on Thursday will be taking its first look at the insurrection clause in a case in which the stakes couldn't be higher.The Supreme Court on Thursday will be taking its first look at the insurrection clause in a case in which the stakes couldn't be higher. Civil rights legislation brought new challenges to Federal authority akin to those encountered in the wake of the Fourteenth Amendment. It is true that the chief interest of the people in giving permanence and security to citizen- ship in the Fourteenth Amendment was the desire to protect Ne-. 1860s to do justice to Section Three of the Fourteenth. Amendment. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on July 9, 1868, and granted citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States,"