Reserved Powers
The federal government is a government of delegated powers, meaning that it has only those powers delegated to it by the Constitution. All other…
Concurrent Powers
The federal government is a government of delegated powers, meaning that it has only those powers delegated to it by the Constitution. All other…
States’ Rights
States’ rights is the philosophical governing belief, hearkening back to the Articles of Confederation, that state governments are equal to, and may override, national…
Fugitive Slave Acts
The Fugitive Slave Acts were passed in 1793 and 1850 as attempts to legislate the return of runaway slaves to southern slave owners. The…
Comprehensive Employment and Training Act
The Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) represented an ambitious federal undertaking to decentralize government employment and training programs stemming from President Richard Nixon’s…
Competitive Federalism
“Competitive federalism” refers to the existence and desirability of competition among governments and jurisdictions in a federal political system. Competition among governments can be…
Compact Theory of the U.S. Constitution
Compact theory is the subject of some confusion because there are at least two conceptions of it. Broadly understood, compact theory is a political…
Community Development Block Grants
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, initially authorized by the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, was one of the centerpieces of…
Common Core State Standards (inc. Race to the Top) (2009)
In 2009, the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers coordinated the Common Core State Standards Initiative among the states.…
Native American Sovereignty
See American Indians and Federalism
Foreign Affairs and Federalism
Federalism has played a major, but sometimes overlooked, role in U.S. foreign policy. Given that the weak national government created by the Articles of…
Missouri v. Holland (1920)
The relationship between the treaty power and U.S. Federalism has been a recurring matter of controversy throughout the nation’s history. Article II, Section 2,…
Crosby v. National Foreign Trade Council (2000)
The Crosby case (2000) represents perhaps the Rehnquist Court’s most important encounter with the intersection between federalism, separation of powers, and foreign affairs. The…
