Win, Lose, or Draw: The New Nullification

When he started working at the Tenth Amendment Center three-and-a-half years ago, Communications Director Mike Maharrey could recite every bill that dealt with the nullification of federal law across the United States, even if most were toothless, non-binding resolutions. In his second year, though pushback against the Affordable Care Act and the National Defense Authorization Act crossed his desk, he could still keep track. By 2013, when virtually every state introduced some sort of nullification bill, his memory had spread a little thin. “We got to the point where we couldn’t keep up with all of them, and I’m certain that it’s going to be like that again next year,” he said.