The Constitution
Full Faith and Credit Clause
Article IV's requirement that each state honor the public acts, records, and court judgments of the others. Why a judgment in one state can be enforced in another.
In full
The clause makes the states a single legal system for purposes of finality: a valid judgment travels. It applies less strictly to another state's laws than to its judgments, so a state need not apply a sister state's statute when its own public policy differs, but it generally cannot relitigate a judgment already entered.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.