Amending Tennessee's constitution requires a majority vote in one legislative session, a supermajority vote in a second session, and majority approval among gubernatorial voters

Overview Debates Related claims Topics

Under the United States Constitution, individual states hold primary authority over conducting elections under laws enacted by Congress

Elections in the United States are administered by state and local authorities rather than the federal government

Colorado became the first United States state to legalize recreational cannabis in 2012

The State of Alaska distributes yearly monetary dividends to eligible residents from the Alaska Permanent Fund

The United States Constitution prohibits individual states from passing laws that impair the obligation of contracts

Robert Moses held government positions that were divided between mayoral appointments in New York City and gubernatorial appointments in New York State

Robert Moses held overlapping public offices that were divided between mayoral and gubernatorial appointment jurisdiction

In the Suncor case, oil companies argued the U.S. Constitution limits states' ability to use tort law to address climate change harms

The oil companies' arguments in the Suncor case invert traditional federalism by seeking to limit states' police powers

States traditionally have the power to protect their citizens from harm through tort law under their state police powers

Suncor and ExxonMobil argue that climate change is a global issue that should be handled by the federal government, not state courts

A 4-4 tie would uphold the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling, which allowed the case to proceed in state court

Suncor and ExxonMobil argue that climate change should be handled by the federal government, not individual states

A New York state judge ruled that Mayor Zoran Mamdani must redo the rollout of the 'pied-à-terre' tax

The government's separation of powers argument claims the judiciary is encroaching on the executive's Article II prosecutorial authority

The counterargument is that Article III of the Constitution gives courts inherent power to enforce their own judgments, a power essential to the separation of powers

The government's primary legal argument is that a judicial inquiry into contempt encroaches on the executive branch's Article II prosecutorial powers

The counterargument holds that Article III requires courts to have inherent power to enforce their judgments to maintain the separation of powers

The Supreme Court has used the doctrine of federal preemption to weaken state-level consumer protections

Reforms are needed to empower state Attorneys General and individuals with robust private rights of action