What federal laws apply to all states?
Daniel Santos
Updated on February 04, 2026
The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution of the United States (Article VI, Clause 2), establishes that the Constitution, federal laws made pursuant to it, and treaties made under its authority, constitute the “supreme Law of the Land”, and thus take priority over any conflicting state laws.
Do states have to follow federal acts?
The Supremacy Clause is a clause within Article VI of the U.S. Constitution which dictates that federal law is the “supreme law of the land.” This means that judges in every state must follow the Constitution, laws, and treaties of the federal government in matters which are directly or indirectly within the …
Where can federal statutes be found?
Statutes and the United States Code can be found on the Internet. In addition, the slip law versions of public laws are available in official print form from the Government Printing Office. Federal Depository Libraries (e.g., university and state libraries) provide slip laws in print and/or microfiche format.
Do all states have the same statutes?
Federal laws are generally applicable in the same way across all state borders. This is because every U.S. state is also a sovereign entity in its own right and is granted the power to create laws and regulate them according to their needs. …
What is the difference between a state law and a federal law?
Federal law is the body of law created by the federal government of a country. In the United States, state law is the law of each separate U.S. state, as passed by the state legislature and adjudicated by state courts. State law is enacted by the state legislature and put into effect when signed by the governor.
What is the difference between federal law and state law?
While federal law applies to all 50 US states, state law is individual. Laws that are put in place in individual states do not apply to other states.
What are examples of federal statutes?
View Federal Statutes
- Privacy Act of 1974. Computer Matching and Privacy Act of 1998.
- The National Security Act of 1947.
- USA PATRIOT Act.
- Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.
- 9/11 Commission Act.
- Wiretap Act.
- Electronic Communications Privacy Act.
- The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978.
What are the federal statutes?
The United States Statutes at Large is the collection of every law, public and private, ever enacted by the Congress, published in order of the date of its passage. These laws are codified every six years in the United States Code, but the Statutes at Large remains the official source of legislation.
Is the federal law the same as the state law?
State laws only govern the citizens within a particular state, but federal laws apply to all U.S. citizens. When state and federal laws clash, think of the federal law as the trump card.
Do you have to comply with all federal and state laws?
Employers cannot pick and choose which laws to follow, even if they overlap. They must comply with all federal, state, and local laws that are applicable, even if the laws have different legal standards for regulating behavior in the workplace.
Where can I find the statutes of the United States?
Another is the Statutes at Large table, which lists statutes by Statutes at Large citation and provides their public law numbers and United States Code citations. Revised Statutes and the United States Code are available in print in the Law Library Reading Room (see catalog links, below).
Where does federal law apply in the United States?
Federal law is created at the national level, and applies to the entire nation (all 50 states and the District of Columbia), and U.S. territories.