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Article: The chief lays down the law.(Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist reprimands Congress on creating federal laws that are redundant with existing state laws)
- Article from:
- State Legislatures
- Article date:
- March 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 National Conference of State Legislatures. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Chief Justice William Rehnquist tells Congress to resist the temptation to turn every highly publicized crime into federal law. Crime and law enforcement are the states' business.
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, a long-time defender of the states' special role in the American system of government, has denounced Congress for repeatedly enacting federal criminal laws that overlap state laws.
The states have the primary role in the area of crime and law enforcement, he said in his annual message on the judiciary, and Congress needs to think twice before turning "every highly publicized societal ill or sensational crime" into a new federal law.
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