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It's called the Doctrine of Nullification. The theory states that a state has the right to nullify or declare void any Federal law that it deems to be unconstitutional. Although there is no clause in the US Constitution stating who has the right to declare a Federal law to be unconstitutional, precedent had given that power to the US Supreme Court alone. However since there is no direct Constitutional clause (only indirectly through the Supremacy Clause), the right of the Supreme Court to be the sole arbiter of the constitutionality of a law was highly controversial. Nullification was a hot political issue on the first half of the 19th century. The controversy surrounding nullification indirectly led to the American Civil War. After the Civil War was over, nullification ceased to be a major political issue though it has arisen several times since then and has never entirely gone away.

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When a state rejects federal aw?

They really can't reject federal law. The federal law is over state law. Some states who have done this loose federal money and have been taken to court. The Supreme Court has ruled over several cases.


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Nullification.


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State law can be more detailed than federal law, but cannot conflict with federal law. Therefore, a state law cannot determine that a federal law is invalid. The state would have to, instead challenge the federal law as an unconstitutional intrusion on state rights.


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Federal law takes precedence over state law.


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federal law preempts state regulations when a federal law regulates that particular subject.


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