states' rights
plural nounDefinition of states' rights
: all rights not vested by the U.S. Constitution in the federal government nor forbidden by it to the separate states
Examples of states' rights in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By the end of the day, there was unanimous support among these ambitious Democrats in supporting the states' rights to legalize marijuana without federal interference - the stance of the Obama administration. — David Weigel, Houston Chronicle, "Democrats attack attorney general's marijuana policy change," 5 Jan. 2018 The decision was seen as a victory for states' rights advocates, who called Obama's establishing of the monuments gross federal overreach. — The Tylt, cleveland.com, "Do you support Trump's efforts to reduce national monuments?," 8 Dec. 2017 Thomas is a conservative and a strict constructionist who supports states' rights. — CNN, "In rare interview, Clarence Thomas calls Gorsuch 'outstanding'," 2 Nov. 2017 While some contend that the Civil War was fought over states' rights, scholars generally agree that slavery was the primary driver of the conflict. — The Washington Post, NOLA.com, "John Kelly says 'Robert E. Lee was an honorable man'," 31 Oct. 2017 Luther Martin was a Founding Father who refused to sign the Constitution over states' rights objections. — Mike Ellis, USA TODAY, "Who was Martin Luther whose words helped spark the Reformation?," 31 Oct. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'states' rights.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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