Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century," published in 2010, is one of Thomas E. Woods Jr.'s significant works, where he argues for the concept of "nullification" as a constitutional remedy against federal overreach.
Nullification is the idea that individual states have the right to invalidate or "nullify" federal laws they deem unconstitutional. Woods argues that the U.S. Constitution is a compact between sovereign states, and therefore, states retain the power to judge the constitutionality of federal actions.
Woods traces the roots of nullification to the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, drafted by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. These resolutions were a response to the Alien and Sedition Acts and asserted that states could interpose themselves between the federal government and the people to prevent the enforcement of unconstitutional laws.
The book argues that nullification is not just a historical concept but a practical tool that states can use today to resist federal overreach. Woods points to modern examples, such as states refusing to enforce federal laws related to issues like firearms, health care, and immigration, as instances of nullification in action. I view I wholeheartedly endorse as the only solution to the leviathan we live under.
Woods contends that nullification is a constitutional and peaceful means for states to check the power of the federal government. He argues that the Tenth Amendment supports the idea that powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states or the people.
This is a short and easy book to read but won’t short change you on the facts. For a quick read to get up to date on the topic, it is hard to find better than this.