The New Power Players: State Activism and the Rebirth of Federalism
The architecture of our Constitution will be fine — if we can reestablish equilibrium.
Setup
With Congress mired in partisan gridlock and presidents of both parties relying on the growing use of federal executive power, states are playing an increasingly important role on issues ranging from climate change, immigration, and banking regulation, to health care, data privacy, and the opioid crisis. State attorneys general are leading the charge, alternately teaming up and competing against one another in their efforts to reshape the national policy landscape through coordinated litigation against both the federal government and corporations. Is this resurgence of federalism simply a casualty of our country’s polarization, or is it a new, constructive force in national policymaking? Underwritten by Comcast NBCUniversal.
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