states' rights
18
6.3
- noun
- /ˈsteɪts raɪts/
- US
:
derechos de los estados
- Representative Bill Richardson of New Mexico argued in favor of states' rights.
- states' rights vs. federalism
- States' rights advocates
- states' rights issue
Examples
-
Jefferson appeals to fans of civil liberties and states' rights.
Academic text (2005) -
"The war was fought over states' rights and for economic reasons," he argued.
Academic text (2004) -
One other thing to bear in mind, right to carry remains a state's rights issue.
Blog text (6) -
Perhaps for this reason, King rarely addressed the question of states' rights.
Academic text (2003) -
The federal government, therefore, cannot interfere directly with the states' right to govern public schools.
Academic text (2000) -
Supporters of Mortier have advanced both environmental and states' rights arguments.
Academic text (1992) -
Many agree that Rehnquist's emphasis on states' rights was apparent back in the 1970s.
Academic text (2003) -
Anderson's opponents emphasized the importance of protecting minority rights and states' rights.
Academic text (2004) -
The federal government's capitulation to Georgia's demands underscores its eagerness to avoid a confrontation over states' rights.
Academic text (2011) -
The debate over health care regulations often centers around states' rights and their ability to implement local policies.
How State-Controlled
Surface Forms
Morphology
states' + right
The meaning is directly compositional: 'states'' indicates possession by subnational political units and 'rights' means legal entitlements, so a learner who knows both words can infer 'rights belonging to states'. While full political nuances (federal vs. state authority) require background knowledge, the basic sense is transparent and follows a common possessive noun + noun pattern found across languages.
Etymology
States' rights comes from the idea that each state should keep some rights or 'powers' to make its own rules instead of the national government. That's why the phrase now means support for letting states decide many issues for themselves.