Printz v. United States

Printz v. United States (1997) was a Supreme Court case addressing whether the federal government could require state officials to enforce federal gun control laws under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. The Court ruled that the federal government could not compel state officials to carry out federal mandates, affirming state sovereignty and the limits of federal power. This decision emphasized the principle of dual sovereignty in the U.S. Constitution, which maintains a balance of power between federal and state governments, ensuring that states cannot be forced to act on federal directives.