2301s will start looking at federalism next week. The following story - which highlights disputes between the federal government and Texas - should help set the stage for it.
In the fight for states’ rights, no other state comes to mind before Texas. Gov. Rick Perry
has pitted the state's interests against those of the federal
government on a variety of issues — including health care reform and
environmental standards — arguing that the 10th Amendment grants state
governments more autonomy than many of the laws passed by the federal
government allow.
Texas has 17 lawsuits currently pending against the federal government,
and we updated this interactive to include the most recent lawsuit
filed, which challenges the constitutionality of the so-called
contraception rule in the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act. Flip through this interactive to see the nature of the fights and
the arguments of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
Cick on the story to get details.