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Does state law trump federal law?

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A federal law applies to the nation as a whole and to all 50 states whereas state laws are only in effect within that particular state. If a state law gives people more rights than a federal law, the state law is legally supposed to prevail. read more

If the law is about something that is not listed in the Constitution, then it is unconstitutional and the Supremacy Law eliminates it as having supremacy over state laws. The better question would be – when does federal law trump state law – and it is clear that it does so only when the federal law is constitutional, when it is found in the enumerated powers. read more

State laws only govern the citizens within a particular state, but federal laws apply to all U.S. citizens. When state and federal laws clash, think of the federal law as the trump card. In theory, a state law that goes against federal law is null and void, but in practice, there's a bit more of a gray area. read more

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