via NullifyNow.com

What do we do when the federal government exercises powers it does not rightly possess, or when it violates basic rights protected by the Constitution?

Most Americans have been trained to turn to Washington D.C., pinning their hopes on the next election, or on a favorable Supreme Court ruling to check federal power. But when you really think about it, this fails the logic test. We are asking the federal government to interpret and limit its own power! This is kind of like letting a Duke University player referee a game between the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels. Probably wouldn’t turn out too well for the boys in Carolina Blue!

The founders of the United States fought a bloody war to free themselves from a king who believed he had absolute authority to dictate anything he pleased. It seems more than a little unlikely that these same men would create a new system in the image of the old. In fact, they adamantly opposed it. Therefore, some mechanism must exist to stop the federal government from grabbing power it was not intended to have.

Ink on paper cannot not enforce itself.

The states hold that enforcement power.

We all learn about the checks and balances built into the constitution. The U.S. system has separated powers between the judicial, executive and legislative branches. Think of these as horizontal checks on power. But the framers of the Constitution also counted on a vertical check, with the states holding the federal government within its proper sphere. James Madison alludes to this in Federalist 46.

“Should an unwarrantable measure of the federal government be unpopular in particular States, which would seldom fail to be the case, or even a warrantable measure be so, which may sometimes be the case, the means of opposition to it are powerful and at hand. The disquietude of the people; their repugnance and, perhaps refusal to cooperate with officers of the Union, the frowns of the executive magistracy of the State; the embarrassment created by legislative devices, which would often be added on such occasions, would oppose, in any State, very serious impediments; and were the sentiments of several adjoining States happen to be in Union, would present obstructions which the federal government would hardly be willing to encounter.”

Here we see a blueprint for nullification.

So what exactly do we mean by state nullification? Quite simply, it is any act, or set of acts, that results in a particular law being declared unconstitutional and rendered null, void or even just unenforceable within the borders of a state.

In the simplest terms, nullification is exactly what every toddler masters early in life – just saying, “No!”

When a state nullifies a law, the people, through their duly elected state representatives, say, “We do not accept the validity of this federal act and we refuse to enforce it or comply with it.” So when a state legalizes medical marijuana within its borders, despite the federal law against medicinal cannabis, it nullifies the federal act. When states refused to comply with the Real ID Act and set up a federal identification system, they nullified that act. It’s still on the books today, but the system it was meant to create does not exist. And when northern states passed personal liberty laws granting due process to those accused of escaping slavery and refusing state cooperation with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, they nullified that federal act.

To learn more about a nullification and how it has been and can be used to stop the unconstitutional actions coming out of Washington, DC then join us in Raleigh on October 19th for Nullify Now!

 

William Kennedy

The 10th Amendment

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

LEARN MORE

01

Featured Articles

On the Constitution, history, the founders, and analysis of current events.

featured articles

02

Tenther Blog and News

Nullification news, quick takes, history, interviews, podcasts and much more.

tenther blog

03

State of the Nullification Movement

232 pages. History, constitutionality, and application today.

get the report

01

Path to Liberty

Our flagship podcast. Michael Boldin on the constitution, history, and strategy for liberty today

path to liberty

02

Maharrey Minute

The title says it all. Mike Maharrey with a 1 minute take on issues under a 10th Amendment lens. maharrey minute

Tenther Essentials

2-4 minute videos on key Constitutional issues - history, and application today

TENTHER ESSENTIALS

Join TAC, Support Liberty!

Nothing helps us get the job done more than the financial support of our members, from just $2/month!

JOIN TAC

01

The 10th Amendment

History, meaning, and purpose - the "Foundation of the Constitution."

10th Amendment

03

Nullification

Get an overview of the principles, background, and application in history - and today.

nullification