Federal-State Relations

Definition

Federal-state relations refer to the balance of power and authority between the federal government and individual state governments within a country. It involves the distribution of powers, responsibilities, and decision-making between these two levels of government.

Related terms

Supremacy Clause: The Supremacy Clause is a constitutional provision that establishes that federal law takes precedence over state laws if there is a conflict between them.

Nullification: Nullification refers to the idea that states have the right to invalidate or ignore federal laws they consider unconstitutional.

Dual Federalism: Dual Federalism refers to an approach where both the federal government and state governments have distinct and separate spheres of authority without much overlap.