May 15, 2009 The State Sovereignty Movement The state
sovereignty movement speaks with many voices. At its modest, the
movement merely seeks to release states from unfunded federal
mandates and federal strong-arming through conditioned spending
programs. At its strongest, some in the movement advocate
secession. But despite significant differences within the
movement, there seems to be broad agreement that the Tenth
Amendment protects states from federal interference more than
the Supreme Court has held in cases like New York v. United
States (federal government cannot commandeer a state's
legislative process by requiring a state to enact and enforce a
federal regulatory program), Printz v. United States (federal
government cannot require state or local officials to enforce
federal law), and South Dakota v. Dole (federal government may
place certain conditions upon federal funds). Just Wednesday,
the Oklahoma Senate passed House Concurrent Resolution 1028, "A
Concurrent Resolution claiming sovereignty under t