Nullification

Politico reports on state efforts to nullify federal laws:

"There are a rising number of people who are frustrated with what Washington is doing, which is a perfectly legitimate and, in my opinion, correct view of, ‘How do we push back?’” Matthew Spalding, vice president of American Studies for Heritage, told POLITICO. “Unfortunately, there’s a minority in that group that thinks nullification is the answer, by which they mean good old-fashioned, South Carolina, John C. Calhoun nullification. That’s deeply mistaken and unfortunate.”

Spalding said states’ better options include legal challenges, not funding federal laws, or even refusing to enforce them - but not overruling federal laws with state ones.

"Ironically, the people who say they are trying to defend the constitution are doing something to undermine it,” he added. “This is sort of a Hail Mary pass. These are in most cases state legislators who are very frustrated. They’re figuring out how to stop these things, how to turn the course of the nation, in my opinion for good reason, and they’re being told the Supreme Court just upheld [Obamacare], this guy has been reelected, what can we do? And someone comes around and says, ah, you can nullify law.”