Current News, Analyses, Events, Publications, & Personalities
In the interests of intellectual discourse, the Center for the Study of Federalism posts diverse viewpoints. The views we post do not necessarily represent the views of the Center.
The Independent State Legislature Theory and the Twelfth Amendment
POSTED | Oct 03, 2022
Franita Tolson reviews the independent state legislature theory and contends that it "runs counter to the democratizing effect that the Twelfth Amendment was intended to...More
Cooperative Federalism and Coordinated Rulemaking
POSTED | Oct 03, 2022
Bridget Fahey suggests that scholars have yet to develop an understanding of cooperative administrative law for cooperative federalism. She writes that, nonetheless, "federal and state...More
Treaty Rights and State Jurisdiction in Indian Country
POSTED | Sep 30, 2022
Dylan Hedden-Nicely writes that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent use of a balancing test in assessing Indian sovereignty "has no basis in the foundational principles of federal...More
"Backwards" Federalism
POSTED | Sep 30, 2022
Timothy Harris contends that although a number of recent U.S. Supreme Court opinions have embraced federalism, takings jurisprudence has -- to the detriment of the...More
Effect of Intergovernmental Transfers on Income and Poverty in the Philippines
POSTED | Sep 29, 2022
A group of scholars examine how intergovernmental transfers have affected income and poverty in the Philippines. Read more here.
Which Court is the Highest Court?
POSTED | Sep 29, 2022
David Shapiro explores why the U.S. Supreme Court is not always the "highest court" in the United States. Read more here.
State Chief Justices Oppose Independent State Legislature Theory
POSTED | Sep 28, 2022
In an unusual filing, the Conference of Chief Justices, a group of state chief justices, has filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court opposing...More
Call for Restructuring of Nigerian Federalism
POSTED | Sep 28, 2022
In an op-ed, Tunji Olaopa urges the nation's leadership to "reset Nigeria's federalism" because Nigeria's governing process has been "frustrated thoroughly by the dysfunctional constitution that...More
Has Federalism Become "Risky" for Democracy?
POSTED | Sep 27, 2022
Darrell M. West considers a number of policy areas where American states are increasingly in conflict, and suggests that "it appears federalism is entering an...More
Two More States Accept Medicaid Expansion for Pregnancy and Postpartum Care
POSTED | Sep 27, 2022
Two states that have largely banned abortion -- Indiana and West Virginia -- have accepted expanded Medicaid care for women during pregnancy and for 12...More
Report on the International Response to Pandemic Issued
POSTED | Sep 26, 2022
A commission formed by the Lancet to study the international response to the Covid-19 pandemic has issued a stinging assessment of that response. One observer characterized the...More
The Overlapping Nature of U.S. Criminal Law
POSTED | Sep 26, 2022
Erin C. Blondel writes that overlapping criminal enforcement, between the federal government and the states, "is deeply rooted in law and tradition" and "offers a novel federalism...More
Video on States' Rights and Federalism
POSTED | Sep 23, 2022
As part of its Your Democracy animated video series, WHYY Philadelphia presents, "States' Rights and Federalism." You can view the video here.
Should Virginia's Vehicle Emissions Standards Match California's?
POSTED | Sep 23, 2022
Joe Trotter contends that Virginia should reverse its decision to tie itself to California's vehicle emissions standards, arguing that "the concept of federalism is that...More
Book on Federalism and Combating Covid
POSTED | Sep 21, 2022
Nico Steytler has edited Comparative Federalism and Covid-19: Combating the Pandemic (Oxon: Routledge, 2022). The book, which includes an essay by CSF Fellows John Kincaid and Wesley...More