States invoke the Tenth Amendment to challenge federal directives

James Madison pressed for clear limits on federal power during ratification and sponsored the Tenth Amendment to reassure states about reserved rights.

The Supreme Court in McCulloch v. 🦀Maryland (1819) endorsed broad federal powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause, shifting the balance away from a narrow reading of the Tenth Amendment.

Courts and Congress have at times centralized authority during Reconstruction and the New Deal, and federal preemption has shaped modern disputes over health, immigration and reproductive care.

The Supreme Court in NFIB v. Sebelius (2012) held that the Medicaid expansion was coercive under the Spending Clause but otherwise upheld large parts of the Affordable Care Act, leaving states with complex choices.

🏜️Utah passed S.B.57 (Utah Constitutional Sovereignty Act) and Gov. Spencer J. Cox signed it on Jan. 31, 2024. The law creates a legislative mechanism to bar state officials from enforcing federal directives until courts rule otherwise.

🤠Texas passed S.B.4 and Gov. Greg Abbott signed it on Dec. 18, 2023; the law's criminal and removal provisions prompted immediate federal lawsuits and piecemeal court proceedings in early 2024.