What is an example of a conflict between state and federal law?

Asked by: Abigail Schultz  |  Last update: February 2, 2026
Score: 4.6/5 (38 votes)

A classic example of a state-federal law conflict is marijuana legalization, where states permit medical or recreational cannabis use, but it remains illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act, creating clashes over banking, taxes, and enforcement, with federal law generally taking precedence due to the Supremacy Clause. Other examples include states challenging federal mandates (like parts of the Affordable Care Act) or implementing stricter gun/environmental rules than federal law, while the federal government also clashes with states over immigration enforcement.

What is an example of a conflicting state and federal law?

What is an example of a State Law Conflicting with Federal Law?

  • Marijuana Usage. Some states allow people to use marijuana for fun or for medical reasons, but it is still illegal under federal law. ...
  • Same-Sex Marriage. Marriage licenses are issued by local governments, so marriage is usually a state issue.

What happens when there is a conflict between state, local, and federal law?

The preemption doctrine comes from the supremacy clause. It states that federal law preempts state law when the laws conflict. Federal law also preempts state or local law if Congress intends to regulate an area and exclude the states.

How are conflicts between federal and state laws settled?

Conflicts between the laws are resolved by the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, Article VI, which says that laws enacted in furtherance of the U.S. Constitution are the "supreme law of the land," and that federal laws have superiority over the state constitutions and laws.

What is a conflict of laws between states?

A true conflict occurs when one state offers a protection to a particular party that another state does not, and the court of the state that offers no such protection is asked to apply the law of the state offering the protection.

Difference between federal court and state court

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When there is a conflict between a state and a federal law, which is considered the supreme law of the land?

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any ...

What is an example of a federal law overrule state law?

For example, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, an act of Congress, preempts state constitutions, and Food and Drug Administration regulations may preempt state court judgments in cases involving prescription drugs. Congress has preempted state regulation in many areas.

Can states go against federal law?

The limits stem from the federal constitutional principle that states should not be able to undermine federal policy via targeted criminal prosecutions, a doctrine known as Supremacy Clause immunity.[9] But this principle only applies when federal officials are reasonably acting within the bounds of their lawful ...

When there is a conflict between state law and federal law and the federal government has authority over the issue who's law wins?

The core message of the Supremacy Clause is simple: the Constitution and federal laws (of the types listed in the first part of the Clause) take priority over any conflicting rules of state law. This principle is so familiar that we often take it for granted. Still, the Supremacy Clause has several notable features.

When there is a conflict between state or federal law and the U.S. Constitution prevails True or false?

The Supremacy Clause ensures federal law prevails over state law when conflicts arise. It applies to the Constitution, federal statutes, and treaties.

When there is a direct conflict between a federal law and a state law, the state law is rendered invalid pursuant to?

The Constitution's Supremacy Clause provides that federal law is "the supreme Law of the Land" notwithstanding any state law to the contrary. This language is the foundation for the doctrine of federal preemption, according to which federal law supersedes conflicting state laws.

What clause governs conflicts between state and federal law?

The Supremacy Clause establishes a rule of decision for courts adjudicating the rights and duties of parties under both state and federal law. Under our federal system, the States possess sovereignty concurrent with that of the Federal Government, subject only to limitations imposed by the Supremacy Clause.

Can a state make something illegal if it is federally legal?

State laws only govern the citizens within a particular state, but federal laws apply to all U.S. citizens. When state and federal laws clash, think of the federal law as the trump card. In theory, a state law that goes against federal law is null and void, but in practice, there's a bit more of a gray area.

What if state and federal law conflict?

When state law and federal law conflict, federal law displaces, or preempts, state law, due to the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution.

What is true when state and federal laws differ?

If a state law is in conflict with federal law, federal law is upheld. The purpose of state law is to grant citizens within a state additional rights that are not explicitly granted by federal law, rather than to restrict rights granted by federal law.

What is an example of the state and federal government working together?

The federal government, through the federal department of education, engages in the management of the education related critical and emergency issues occurring at the state level. The states are mandated to maintain the public schools and the colleges as well as develop curriculum used within the school in the state.

Which one wins a conflict between federal law and state law?

Grounded in the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, federal preemption stands for the principle that federal law supersedes conflicting state law. Federal preemption is still important, of course, but in recent years, it has been joined in prominence by state preemption.

When a conflict exists between federal and state law, the federal law usually controls.?

There is no dispute that, in theory, when state and federal law directly and unavoidably conflict, the Supremacy clause makes the federal law the “supreme Law of the Land,” displacing and voiding conflicting state law.

How are disputes between the states and the federal government?

Disputes between states and the federal government are primarily resolved by the Supreme Court, which has original jurisdiction in cases where a state is a party. The Supremacy Clause ensures the supremacy of federal law, and federal courts adjudicate issues of federal law and interstate disputes.

Can you argue federal law in state Court?

Ry., 292 U.S. 230, 233–34 (1934) ( “[T]he Federal Constitution prohibits state courts of general jurisdiction from refusing to do so solely because the suit is brought under a federal law.” ).

What's it called when a state rejects a federal law?

Nullification refers to the idea that states have the right to invalidate federal laws they believe exceed the powers granted to the national government by the Constitution.

Which state tried to nullify federal laws?

Nullification Crisis, in U.S. history, confrontation between the state of South Carolina and the federal government in 1832–33 over the former's attempt to declare null and void within the state the federal Tariffs of 1828 and 1832.

What is an example of a conflicting state and federal law?

What is an example of a State Law Conflicting with Federal Law?

  • Marijuana Usage. Some states allow people to use marijuana for fun or for medical reasons, but it is still illegal under federal law. ...
  • Same-Sex Marriage. Marriage licenses are issued by local governments, so marriage is usually a state issue.

Can a state challenge a federal law?

State lawsuits challenging federal law

A state may challenge the constitutionality of a federal statute by filing a lawsuit in court seeking to declare the federal law unconstitutional. Such a lawsuit is decided by the courts, with the Supreme Court having final jurisdiction.

Can a state refuse to follow a federal law?

Aaron (1958), the Supreme Court of the United States held that federal law prevails over state law due to the operation of the Supremacy Clause, and that federal law "can neither be nullified openly and directly by state legislators or state executive or judicial officers nor nullified indirectly by them through ...