states rights

New case shows the Supreme Court’s defense of constitutional federalism is only tepid 0
- September 12, 2018
. . . Those who adopted the Constitution understood that governance of recreational activities, such as sports, was reserved to the states. Regulation of in-state gambling, like other moral issues, similarly was outside the federal sphere.
READ MORE
The Founders’ promises about what the Federal Government could NOT do 0
- June 3, 2018
Functions outside the federal sphere were to include “social services, education, criminal law, civil justice, land use, and others.”
READ MORE
New information on the Constitution’s ratification — Part III: Vermont 0
- May 13, 2018
New Hampshire was, and is, quite a small state, but its ratification was particularly significant.
READ MORE

State protection for citizen rights should temper ‘local control’0
- September 13, 2017
So when is local control good in reality rather than merely as a slogan?
READ MORE
Evidence on the Powers the Constitution Leaves Exclusively to the States 0
- May 18, 2015
This column also appears at CNSNews. The Constitution enumerates the powers of the federal government. But has anyone listed the exclusive powers of states—the realm the federal government may not invade without violating the Constitution? When discussing state authority, the Founders usually pointed out only that the federal government’s powers were, as Madison said, “few
READ MORE
Resisting Federal Usurpation: Comments by Theophilus Parsons 0
- January 4, 2015
Several years ago, I wrote on this site about the contributions to the American Founding of Josiah Quincy. Another little-known Founder who should be more widely celebrated today was Theophilus Parsons. Parsons was from the same Massachusetts circle that produced Quincy. He was an an outstanding lawyer and an eloquent spokesman for republican government and
READ MORE

Contribute