The Constitution
federalism
The division of power between the national government and the states: each sovereign in its sphere, sharing the same territory and citizens.
In full
The Constitution creates a national government of enumerated powers layered over states that retain general 'police powers' for health, safety, and welfare. The boundary is policed by the courts and renegotiated constantly through funding conditions, preemption, and state experimentation. Most law Americans encounter daily, criminal, family, property, contract, is state law.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.