What Are The Rights and Obligations of United States

Understanding Article 4: Rights and Obligations of the United States

Introduction:

Article 4 of the United States Constitution outlines the relationship between the federal and state governments and the rights and obligations each has towards the other. In this article, we will explain the provisions of Article 4, its historical context, and its significance in the American legal system.

Section 1: Full Faith and Credit Clause

One of the main provisions of Article 4 is the Full Faith and Credit Clause, which requires that all states recognize the laws, court decisions, and public records of other states. This means that a marriage license, birth certificate, and legal judgments that are issued in one state must be recognized and accepted by all other states.

The Full Faith and Credit Clause safeguards the integrity of the judicial process, maintains consistency in legal rulings across the country, and supports an essential component of the U.S. social and economic fabric.

Historical Context

The Full Faith and Credit Clause was included in the Constitution to address a pressing problem that arose under the Articles of Confederation. Under the Articles, individual states were sovereign, and their laws and rulings did not apply outside of their borders. This led to significant confusion, and often, legal cases that had been resolved in one state needed to be re-litigated from scratch in another.

James Madison played a significant role in shaping the final language of the clause. Madison recognized that without the assurance of legal and judicial uniformity, the fledgling republic stood little chance of succeeding.

Significance of the Full Faith and Credit Clause

The Full Faith and Credit Clause is the linchpin of legal consistency, allowing families, businesses, and individuals to rely on the outcomes of legal decisions regardless of the state in which the action was initiated.

The clause also played a critical role in many significant legal cases in American history, such as Baker v. Nelson(1972), in which Minnesota denied a marriage license to a same-sex couple. This case is significant because, even though the court ruled against the couple, it established that the Full Faith and Credit Clause applied to marriage laws, regardless of whether they were the same across states.

Section 2: Privileges and Immunities Clause

The Privileges and Immunities Clause in Article 4 stipulates that citizens of one state have equal rights and privileges in all other states. It prohibits states from discriminating against citizens of other states simply because of their state of origin.

This provision ensures that American citizens are granted basic rights regardless of their state of origin or their current residence. It was designed to prevent states from discriminating against outsiders while simultaneously protecting the free movement of goods and people across state borders.

Historical Context

The Privileges and Immunities Clause builds on the foundation laid by the Full Faith and Credit Clause and was an essential protection for newly minted American citizens. It ensured that people who previously had no legal identity could cross state borders without being denied the rights and privileges they enjoyed in their home state. 

Significance of the Privileges and Immunities Clause

The Privileges and Immunities Clause reflects the principle of citizenship within the United States encourages travel across state borders, and protects individuals from being denied rights based on their state of residence. It has been used in numerous legal challenges to ensure that individuals’ basic rights are universal across the country.

For example, in the landmark Supreme Court case of Saenz v. Roe(1999), the Court held that California could not limit the amount of welfare benefits received by new residents. The ruling affirmed the Privileges and Immunities Clause, stating that with certain exemptions, citizens have the right to travel and the same rights in every state. 

Conclusion:

Article 4 of the United States Constitution establishes the relationship between the federal and state governments and the rights and obligations each has towards one another. The Full Faith and Credit and Privileges and Immunities Clauses ensure consistency across the United States and protect the fundamental rights of the citizens. These provisions are essential to the functioning and stability of the American legal system and have played a significant role in shaping the nation’s history.

The last section of Article 4 of the Constitution is that of the “Obligations of the United States”. Two clauses reside within this section, the first being that of the “republican government”. Under this clause, the United States sets forth that every State included within the Union practice that of a republican system of government. This clause has been called the “guarantee clause,” as well.

Though the Constitution itself does not present us with an adequate explanation of this clause, we may look no further than that of the Federalist Papers, where we are met with the initial beliefs and intentions of this country’s Founding Fathers. Within these papers, a distinction exists in relation to that of a realistic republican system of government. It describes it in terms of its distinction from general democracy, from which it was believed that the founders wished to steer away.

In the time period amid the 1840s, the “Dorr Rebellion” made the Supreme Court’s ruling as to the clause’s meaning of the utmost necessity. This Rebellion, directed by Thomas Wilson Dorr, stemmed from his anger in relation to modifications within the electoral system of the State of Rhode Island. As many of those involved were arrested due to their attempts at instituting new State Constitutions, a Federal suit was filed that claimed that such arrests were illegal due to Rhode Island’s State Government’s existence
as opposite to that of “republican” in nature. 

In the Supreme Court case Luther v. Borden, it was ruled that only the Congress of the United States of America be allowed to determine what type of government a State maintained. Due to such a significant proceeding, the United States Congress was forced to set forth specifications by which the “republican nature” of a State’s government may be decided.