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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Define federalism.
- Ascertain the sections of the Constitution that give Congress regulatory authority.
- Ascertain the basis for Congress’s authority to enact criminal laws.
- Compare federal regulatory authority with state regulatory authority.
- Compare federal criminal laws with state criminal laws.
- Define federal supremacy.
The United States’ system of government is called federalism. Federalism, as set forth in the US Constitution, divides governmental power between the federal government and each of the states. This prevents a concentrated source of governmental power in one individual or small group of individuals. Because of federalism, the United States has one federal legal system, and each state has its ow n state legal system. Thus in the United States, a plethora of legal systems all operate harmoniously at the same time.
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