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Questions tagged [federalism]

Relating to the distribution of power in an organization between a central authority and the constituent units in a federal system of government.

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What was the relevance of 'crossing state lines' in the Kyle Rittenhouse case?

It seems to be a common talking-point that the now exonerated Kyle Rittenhouse did something wrong by 'crossing state lines' to attend the BLM demonstration in Kenosha that led to the subsequent shootings of three of the protestors. What, if…
DrMcCleod
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In the US, can a state court issue a subpoena against, arrest, try, convict, or jail the US president?

The US president has the authority to grant a pardon to a person other than himself in respect of a federal crime, even before the person has been indicted. There has also been some discussion over whether he can issue a federal self-pardon. But he…
user20860
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How does the Federal government have jurisdiction to charge Luigi Mangione?

It's my understanding that the Federal government can only file murder charges on a small subset of murders, like murders of Federal agents or on Federal property. With that in mind, how can the Federal government charge Luigi Mangione with murder?…
Ryan_L
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If Trump pardons himself regarding the federal crime he tried to hide by cooking the books, is the New York conviction void?

[Note that Jen in their answer corrects quite a few of the premises of my question; read it. I let the question otherwise stand as-is.] Falsifying business records in New York is only a felony if it was done in order to hide a felony. That's the…
Peter - Reinstate Monica
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How many separate judicial systems are there in the United States?

At minute 17:30 of this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJOpSkyBl2Y the lecturer claims there are 51 separate court systems. But I count at least 52: 50 states, the federal system, and Washington DC. Does DC count as a separate judicial…
LMR
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Does murdering the President of the United States differ, as a crime, from regular murder?

So, the prospect of siccing a semper tyrannis on the current POTUS has been discussed for the past quarter millennium or so. This has left me wondering, what sort of laws are there against murdering, or otherwise criminally ending the life of, the…
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"Murder laws are governed by the states, [not the federal government]." Is Vivek Ramaswamy right?

United States presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy stated he doesn't support a federal ban on abortion, a practice which he understands to be murder, because the U.S. federal government doesn't regulate murder (emphasis added): For years, I was…
The Editor
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Could the federal government begin registering vehicles and issuing driver licenses, overriding state law?

Currently, vehicle registration and driver licensing are handled primarily by states in the US. However, aircraft registration and pilot certification is handled by the federal government. Could the federal government take over road vehicle…
Someone
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USA write-in ballots

Disclosure: I do not live in the USA and so am only picking up bits of American news from various places. What I'm picking up on is that one of the larger things in the United States is a legal argument whether Donald Trump can be listed on state…
Matt Bartlett
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Is a US state's revocation of a business license not being federally appealable codified somewhere, or is there simply no law saying it can be?

While the US constitution does contain the Interstate Commerce clause, it is argued that revocation of a business license and dissolution of a business following a US state's legal process can not be appealed to a US Federal Court because (if I…
uhoh
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Does Double Jeopardy prohibit prosecution, for the same event, in both Federal and State court?

The common understanding of the 5th Amendment's prohibition on being tried twice for the same offense is that no trial can be held which would put a person in a risk of loss of liberty if they have already been tried for that even. It's been…
grovkin
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What exactly is code and how does it relate to law? Where does it fit into the hierarchy of law?

(I am not legally versed.) I am studying building and construction codes and am having some trouble understanding code in a general sense. First, how exactly is code defined? How is it distinct from law? Is code in the context of building and…
Ethan Dandelion
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Can federal courts overturn state court decisions on matters of state law?

If a state court rules, for example, that a particular state law is unconstitutional under the state constitution, can this decision be overturned by a federal court?
Someone
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Are "inland whales" in Oregon property of the governor, and other questions about "royal fish"

I came across this article about an orca that swam into a body of water in Portland, Oregon (USA). The whale was eventually poached, and the defendants convicted and fined. The case made its way to the Oregon Supreme Court which found in favor of…
Darlingtonia
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US jurisdictions

I've recently entered a rabbit hole of videos mocking sovereign citizens. One of the most common arguments they use is to contest jurisdiction, they claim that the US Constitution gives two types of jurisdiction, common law civil jurisdiction and…
Matt Bartlett
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