Definition of states' rights in English:
states' rights
plural noun steɪtsˈrʌɪtssteɪtsˈraɪts
(in the US) the rights and powers held by individual states rather than by the federal government.
they took up arms to defend liberty and states' rights
Example sentencesExamples
- This reminds me of the issues surrounding the Civil War, like states' rights and the role of the federal government.
- No one who believes in states' rights believes in unlimited states' rights.
- Proponents of states' rights and powers hold that the Constitution is a compact between the states and the federal government.
- What an amazing theory: states' rights until big poppa federal government thinks the children have gotten out of hand.
- The issue was states' rights versus a strong federal government.
- The moderates (there are no liberals) upheld federal power over states' rights which is consistent with their position.
- And we have the whole struggle now between the federal government and states' rights on issues of the environment and energy.
- For forty years the Republican Party has preached the gospel of federalism and states' rights.
- If John Ashcroft were a true conservative, he'd respect states' rights and limited powers for the federal government.
- All of a sudden, liberals have discovered federalism and states' rights.
- Yet the area of environmental protection is marked by intense battles over states' rights and fears of federal encroachment.
- They argued that the bill would usurp states' rights and allow the central government to dictate the law enforcement policies of local authorities.
- Jeffersonian democracy is based on limited government, states' rights, local control, volunteerism and privatization.
- Hatcher continues in this cutting style for the first half of his closing piece on federalism and states' rights.
- Two key areas of conservative jurisprudence hit speed bumps in major rulings - property rights and federalism, or states' rights.
- At the Supreme Court today, a case that gets to the heart of states' rights versus federal law.
- Rohrabacher said the amendment was about states' rights and limiting the power of the federal government.
- On September 13, that court struck down a federal statute as an unconstitutional infringement of states' rights.
- No one expects Roberts' views on states' rights vs. federal powers to derail his candidacy.
- This can be explained by their strongly held belief in states' rights over federal might.