TPM Editor’s Blog

Back to the 19th Century

Back to the 19th Century

The Idaho legislature is debating a bill that would “nullify” the federal health care reform law. Says the bill’s sponsor: “The question becomes, is the Legislature going to become a rubber stamp of everything that the government decides to do, or is the Legislature going to be able to interpose between onerous laws that the federal government decides to implement and its citizens? That’s the question before us.”

Needless to say, state legislatures don’t get a say at all at invalidating federal laws, though some governors in the South about 50 years ago weren’t quite clear on that point.

Late Update: Always the trendsetter in the Crazy, Arizona is one upping Idaho by debating a law that would allow the state legislature to nullify any federal law at will.

Josh Marshall

Josh Marshall is editor and publisher of TalkingPointsMemo.com.

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