Articles
What the Supremacy Clause Does in State-Federal Conflicts
What the Supremacy Clause does: Article VI makes the Constitution, federal laws and treaties prevail over conflicting state rules, subject to limits.
Articles
How Federal Grants Shape State and Local Spending
Federal grants rose from $91.4 billion in FY1980 to $285.9 billion in FY2000. Their conditions can influence local choices without directly commanding state gov
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What the Commerce Clause Covers—and Its Limits
What the Commerce Clause covers: foreign, interstate and tribal commerce, plus some intrastate activity that substantially affects interstate commerce.
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Constitutional vs. Statutory Rights: What You Can Challenge
A constitutional right can support a challenge to a law or its application; a statutory right depends on the law that creates it and its remedies.
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Executive Orders: What Can the President Direct?
An executive order can steer federal agencies only within constitutional and statutory…
How the Electoral College Works vs. the Popular Vote
How the Electoral College works: voters choose electors state by state, and…
How a Regulation Is Stayed While It Is Challenged
How a regulation is stayed while it is challenged depends first on…
What Is an Independent Agency? Who Controls It?
What an independent agency is: a federal body with statutory insulation from…
explainers on how the machinery works.