The U.S. Constitution in Five Minutes - Joseph L. Smith
12. Why Is It Hard to Sue a State?
The U.S. Constitution in Five Minutes - Joseph L. Smith
Susan W. Johnson [+]
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Susan W. Johnson is an associate professor of political science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her research interests include judicial politics, comparative courts, and gender.
Description
Why is it difficult to sue a state? States may be immune from lawsuits by citizens even when the state’s actions allegedly violate federal law. This chapter describes the origins and competing interpretations of state sovereign immunity as applied through the Tenth and Eleventh Amendments.