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Definition: nullification from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary

pronunciationpronunciation

(1798) 1 : the act of nullifying :the state of being nullified 2 : the action of a state impeding or attempting to prevent the operation and enforcement within its territory of a law of the U.S. 3 : jury nullification

nul•li•fi•ca•tion•ist \-sh(ə-)nist\ n

nullification

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
in U.S. history, a doctrine expounded by the advocates of extreme states' rights . It held that states have the right to declare null and void any federal law that they deem unconstitutional. The doctrine was based on the theory that the Union is a voluntary compact of states and that the federal government has no right to exercise powers not specifically assigned to it by the U.S. Constitution. The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions declared (1799) nullification to be the rightful remedy by the states for all unauthorized acts done under the pretext of the Constitution. A closely reasoned reinforcement to the doctrine of nullification was set forth—in response to the tariff of 1828, which favored Northern interests at the expense of the South—by John C. Calhoun in his South Carolina Exposition (1828). The strong pro-Union stand of President Jackson brought forth further remonstrances from Southern leaders. After enactment of the tariff act of 1832 South Carolina called a state…
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Full text Article Nullification

From Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History
Nullification is a legal theory that argues that the individual states of the United States have the right to strike down, or nullify, federal laws. As the states and the federal government and sought to define their respective authority and responsibilities under the Constitution during the early…
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Full text Article nullification

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
in U.S. history, a doctrine expounded by the advocates of extreme states' rights . It held that states have the right to declare null and void any federal law that they deem unconstitutional. The doctrine was based on the theory that the Union is a voluntary compact of states and that the federal…
| 391 words
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Full text Article Nullification

From American Governance
Nullification, according to its proponents, is the power of American states to interpret the United States Constitution and decide whether federal laws exceed the powers granted by the Constitution to the federal government; and, if the states find laws unconstitutional, to deem the laws “null and…
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Full text Article nullification doctrine

From Encyclopedia of the American Presidency
Nullification was the doctrine urged by a number of writers and politicians in the early 19th century that held that the states could declare a federal law to be unconstitutional and therefore null and void. Although the term itself is a general one, as in the "judicial nullification" of…
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Full text Article NULLIFICATION CONTROVERSY

From The Reader's Companion to American History
The famous nullification confrontation of 1832-1833, pitting President Andrew Jackson against South Carolina senator John C. Calhoun over whether a state could nullify federal law, was an important step in a long series of attempts to define the proper powers of the states. Behind all these…
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Full text Article jury nullification

From Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
a jury's ability, or the exercise of that ability, to acquit a criminal defendant despite finding facts that leave no reasonable doubt about violation of a criminal statute. This ability is not a right, but an artifact of criminal procedure. In the common law, the jury has sole authority to…
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Full text Article Jury Nullification

From World of Criminal Justice, Gale
Jury nullification is the prerogative of a jury to acquit a criminal defendant , even if its verdict is contrary to the law and the evidence and even if the prosecution has proven every element of its case beyond a reasonable doubt . This prerogative stems from the jurors’ role as the conscience of…
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Full text Article Nullification Instruction

From Encyclopedia of Capital Punishment in the United States
The vast majority of jurisdictions limit juries to making findings of fact and not conclusions of law. However, it is known that juries oftentimes disregard instructions and engage in what is called jury nullification. That is, determining the outcome of an issue based upon their personal beliefs…
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Full text Article nullification

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Doctrine upholding the right of a U.S. state to declare null and void an act of the federal government. First enunciated in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798), it was expanded by John C. Calhoun in response to the Tariff of 1828. Calhoun maintained that a state “interposition” could block…
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Full text Article nullify

From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary
pronunciation (1595) 1 :  to make null; esp :  to make legally null and void 2 :  to make of no value or consequence syn nullify negate annul abrogate invalidate mean to deprive of effective or continued existence. nullify implies counteracting completely the force, effectiveness, or value of…
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