If you’re involved in a dispute that goes to court, then the odds are that your case will be started in a California Superior Court instead of a federal court, but do you know why? It all begins with the U.S. Constitution, which set up a national government and state governments. This division of power is called “federalism,” and it gives states control over many local issues.
The federal and state governments then create laws to carry out their separate powers. States can create laws that cover a broad range of subjects, but have to stay within the limits of state power. The national government’s law making power is even more limited, because the Constitution outlines the specific areas that federal law can address. (more…)
