The Tenth Amendment and State Sovereignty

In the wake of the 2000 Election, the relationship between the Supreme Court and the American states has become more important. Once derided by the Court as a 'truism,' the Tenth Amendment has in recent years been transformed from a neglected provision into a vital 'first principle.' As such, it has provided the foundation for a series of decisions in which the Supreme Court has elevated the status of the states, often at the expense of federal power and in the face of previously settled assumpt