Legal Definitions - guarantee clause

A guarantee clause is a provision in a contract, deed, or mortgage where one person promises to pay the obligation of another. This means that if the person who owes the obligation cannot pay, the person who made the guarantee will be responsible for paying it.

For example, if you co-sign a loan for a friend, you are making a guarantee that you will pay the loan if your friend cannot. This is a common use of a guarantee clause in a contract.

The Guarantee Clause can also refer to a specific part of the United States Constitution, Article IV, Section 4. This clause ensures that every state in the United States has a republican form of government and is protected from invasion or internal insurrection by the federal government.

For example, if a state were to experience a rebellion or invasion, the federal government would step in to protect the state and ensure that it maintains a republican form of government. This is an example of the Guarantee Clause in action.