Rick Morain is the former publisher and owner of the Jefferson Herald, for which he writes a regular column.
Where does your primary loyalty lie: as a citizen of America, or as a citizen of Iowa?
Probably seems like a meaningless question. But around the nation, more and more states these days are enacting laws in opposition to those of the federal government, placing the loyalty question front and center. And a growing number of U.S. residents are declaring a preference to honor their state laws above those of the United States.
ORIGINS OF THE SUPREMACY CLAUSE
In terms of settled law, there’s no real dispute: federal law outranks state law. The U.S. Constitution leaves no doubt. Article VI, Clause 2 (the “Supremacy Clause”), reads as follows:
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