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Janus-Faced Federalism: State Sovereignty and FederalPreemption in the Rehnquist Court

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2005

Timothy J. Conlan  and
Robert L. Dudley
Timothy J. Conlan
Affiliation:
George Mason University
Robert L. Dudley
Affiliation:
George Mason University
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Extract

The Roman god Janus had two faces, looking in opposite directions.This split appearance is an apt metaphor for the Rehnquist Court'sdecisions involving federal-state relations. One face, which hasreceived much attention over the past decade and a half, ischaracterized by the Court's post-1990 decisions concerning statesovereignty, sovereign immunity, and the reach of Congress's powersunder the Interstate Commerce Clause and the 14thAmendment. All have had a devolutionary thrust, bolstering stateauthority or insulating state institutions against federal law andregulations. The second, less recognized face is distinguished bythe Court's emerging doctrines concerning federal preemption ofstate and local authority. In these cases, the Supreme Court—oftenled by members of the new federalist majority—has tiltedsurprisingly in favor of federal authority. This article examinesboth faces of contemporary judicial policy making on matters offederalism, with a particular focus on the implications for federalpreemption.

Information

Type
SYMPOSIUM
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 38 , Issue 3 , July 2005 , pp. 363 - 366
Copyright
© 2005 The American Political Science Association

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References

References

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Cases Cited

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