Read Article IX of the United States Bill of Rights:

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

What is the main effect of setting the phrase of certain rights off with commas following the introductory phrase the enumeration of the Constitution?

It emphasizes the rights are what should not be misconstrued.
It emphasizes the rights belong to the people not the Constitution.
It suggests that some rights are more important than others.

I am thinking it is the third one. Any thoughts.

I'd opt for #2. Rights belong to the people, whether or not they are among the "certain rights" named in the Constitution. In this context, "certain" means "particular" or "specific," not certain as in an absolute truth.

I think you're right.

I originally thought it was the second one

Ms. Sue do you believe the answer is the third one

Please think about both answers carefully. Reed and I have an honest difference of opinion. You should be the deciding vote in this debate.

The main effect of setting the phrase "of certain rights" off with commas following the introductory phrase "the enumeration in the Constitution" in Article IX of the United States Bill of Rights is that it emphasizes that the rights listed in the Constitution should not be interpreted in a way that denies or belittles other rights that are retained by the people.

Therefore, the correct answer is: It emphasizes that some rights are more important than others.

To arrive at this answer, we can analyze the sentence structure and the use of punctuation. The phrase "of certain rights" is enclosed by commas, creating a parenthetical phrase. This means that this phrase can be removed from the sentence without altering its grammatical structure or overall meaning. So, if we exclude the parenthetical phrase, we are left with the core message of the sentence:

"The enumeration in the Constitution shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

This stripped-down sentence still makes grammatical sense and communicates the central idea: that the enumeration of specific rights in the Constitution should not be interpreted in a way that denies or belittles other rights held by the people. In other words, it emphasizes that the listed rights are not exhaustive and that there are additional rights that are equally important and retained by the people.

Hence, the correct interpretation is that it suggests that some rights are more important than others.