School Districts
American federalism enables each of the 50 states to maintain its own educational system. From a constitutional-legal perspective, local educational authorities (LEAs) are political…
Land Use
As a governmental arena, land use involves the public control over the use of privately owned real estate. Municipalities and counties are the dominant…
Intergovernmental Lobbying
In simple terms, intergovernmental lobbying involves governments lobbying other governments. The intergovernmental lobby is composed of state and local government officials’ organizations (SLGOOs), which…
Corfield v. Coryell (1823)
Article IV, Section 2, Clause 1, of the Constitution provides, “The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in…
Exclusive 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…
Substantive Due Process
The concept of due process of law traces its lineage back at least to the eleventh century, but had it most prominent manifestation in…
Continental Congress
Following the Boston Tea Party in December 1773, the British government closed the Boston port, placed a British general in charge of Massachusetts’s government,…
Constitutionalism
Constitutionalism is committed to the rule of law. In constitutional, rule of law regimes, preexisting rules provide necessary foundations for all government actions. A…
State Legislatures
State legislatures have a significant impact on American federalism due to their constitutional responsibilities, political influence, and intergovernmental roles. They vary remarkably in their…
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…
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.…
