You Can't Do That: The Political Consequences of Fights About State and National Power
In the U.S. our system of federalism allows the national government and states to have different policies on issues like minimum wage, educational testing, and government spending, among many other things. Different policies can blossom across our large and diverse country. But variations in policy can result in conflicts over whether state or national actors have violated constitutional limits on their authority. Can the national government require local police to enforce national immigration policy? Can cities enact a minimum wage that is higher than their state government has set? At this political moment, advocates from both conservative and liberal points of view are using the tools of federalism in often conflicting ways. Join legal scholar Charlton Copeland to examine whether the American way of doing federalism allows people from all points of view the same leverage in policy debates that cross local and national jurisdictions.
Charlton Copeland holds the M. Minnette Massey Chair in Law at the University of Miami School of Law. His teaching focuses on public law subjects, including Administrative Law, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law and Federal Courts. Professor Copeland’s research centers on the intersection of American political and legal institutions, including how federalism, separation of powers and politics shape substantive policy making in America.
