Privileges and Immunities Clause: Article IV
The Privileges and Immunities Clause of Article IV provides that “the Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of…
Brennan, William J., Jr.
Justice William J. Brennan Jr. served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1956 to 1990, and during his tenure he influenced federalism in a…
Colegrove v. Green (1946)
Until it was overruled by Baker v. Carr in 1962, Colegrove v. Green (1946) was the leading precedent on legislative apportionment, holding that apportionment…
Equal Protection of the Laws
One fundamental characteristic of the American constitutional system has been the precept that a law cannot discriminate among individuals who are essentially similar. Americans…
Baker v. Carr (1962)
Baker v. Carr (1962) is a landmark case credited with legally establishing the noted principle of “one person, one vote” and with condemning legislative…
Bailey v. Drexel Furniture Company (1922)
In Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918), the Supreme Court invalidated the federal Keating-Owen Child Labor Act, which had forbidden the shipment of goods made by…
Articles of Confederation (full document)
1 ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION 1.1 I. 1.2 II. 1.3 III. 1.4 IV. 1.5 V. 1.6 VI. 1.7 VII. 1.8 VIII. 1.9 IX. 1.10 X.…
Arizona v. United States (2012)
The Supreme Court of the United States in Arizona v. United States, 587 U.S. 387 (2012), declared unconstitutional most provisions of Arizona’s controversial S.B.…
Anti-Federalists
“Anti-Federalist” describes the philosophical and political position of individuals who, during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the subsequent state ratification debates (1787–89), generally…
Sovereignty
Where is sovereignty lodged in the U.S. federal system established by the 1787 Federal Constitution? There have been numerous answers: in the federal government,…
Annapolis Convention of 1786
The Annapolis Convention of 1786 was the first major meeting held to discuss the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation. Five states attended to…
Northwest Ordinance of 1784
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson and passed under the Articles of Confederation, the Northwest Ordinance of 1784 issued a plan for governing the public region…
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted in 1990 “to establish a clear and comprehensive prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability.”…
