Federalism in Action: Governments and Policies Involved
The article ‘A Crisis Coming’: The Twin Threats to American Democracy reveals the meaning of federalism, demonstrating the characteristics of the popular vote in the United States associated with the confrontation between Democrats and Republicans. The differences at the state level and the distribution of opinion are prime examples of federalism, as expressed in the Supreme Court decision on abortion (Leonhardt).
The civil liberties of the unborn child are something that some people desire to be protected. Another seeks to safeguard women’s right to their bodies and the doctor-patient relationship’s right to confidentiality (OpenStax). Consequently, the difficult part of the matter is figuring out which side of the debate most people in society are on. Still, the Supreme Court, as a Federal institution, chose not to consider this.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Federalism in This Issue
The author of the article is concerned that federalism, in their examples, does not work to protect citizens. Raising the issue of constitutional interpretation, the author of an article points out that the shifting architecture of the country’s population has been a crucial factor in understanding how Supreme Court decisions affect the states (Leonhardt). Due to some inappropriate court decisions, “Other scholars favor proposals to limit the Supreme Court’s authority, which the Constitution also allows and which previous presidents and Congresses have done” (Leonhardt). Regarding abortion, each state is subject to the Supreme Court but chooses its options to follow, and some liberal states choose the majority opinion. Citizens are protected in this situation, but we cannot argue that the state and the nation are one because people from various states must travel to receive assistance.
Personal Significance of This Federalism Example
For me, the nation and the states must collaborate to achieve strategic objectives to enhance the standard of living, including social protection, well-being, and schooling. The standard of living should be independent of the party that obtains the majority of the votes, and the Supreme Court must act in case of human rights violations. In the context of violating universal rights because of the prevalence of pro-Republican bias in the Senate (Leonhardt), as mentioned in the article, I cannot be sure that federalism works because it does not fit the reality that democracy prevails.
Works Cited
Leonhardt, David. “‘A Crisis Coming’: The Twin Threats to American Democracy.” The New York Times. 2022. Web.
OpenStax. American Government 3e. XanEdu Publishing Inc., 2021. Web.