states' rights

plural noun

: the rights and powers held by a state, province, etc., that is a member of a federal union

especially : the rights and powers not expressly identified in the U.S. Constitution as belonging to the federal government and that therefore belong to the states

Examples of states' rights in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The same states' rights ideology that conservatives have long used to justify slavery and segregation now shapes women's rights in the United States. —Jill Filipovic, CNN, 3 Aug. 2022

There have been moments of parties splintering, such as when Democrats committed to states' rights and frustrated by civil rights legislation, just as Black Americans were shifting toward Democrats, tried to create their own Dixiecrat party. —Zachary B. Wolf, CNN, 15 May 2021

This attempt to federalize our elections and strip away states' rights would make cheating easier than ever. —Arkansas Online, 28 Apr. 2022

Morgan wants to uphold the rule of law and preserve the U.S Constitution, such as fighting to ensure the federal government doesn't overstep states' rights. —Melissa Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

states' rights

plural noun

: all rights not given to the federal government by the U.S. Constitution nor forbidden by it to the separate states

Legal Definition

states' rights

noun plural

1

: rights and powers not forbidden to the states nor vested in the federal government by the U.S. Constitution

2

singular in construction : a doctrine based on states' rights that has been used to justify state resistance to federal authority in matters seen as the exclusive concern of the states and that is most often associated with the states favoring slavery and secession in the 19th century compare federalism