Since, they rule for the government, should the power of the Supreme and federal courts be limited to disputes between the states and federal matters?

[Adaeva]

There are exceptions but few far between.

[abc3643]

They already are... except that, by Constitutional amendment (ratified by at least 3/4 of the states), certain rights are deemed universal throughout all the states.

Here's an example.

You like the First Amendment, right? As a refresher to our non-American friends, the First Amendment is:

===

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

===

So, one thing that falls out of that is that Congress can't make a law establishing a national religion.

You wrote:

"the power of the Supreme and federal courts be limited to disputes between the states and federal matters".

If that was so, then that doesn't stop the states making state religions, right? Because that's saying that the First Amendment only applies to the Federal Government and not the states. So, for example, Utah is majority-Mormon so maybe the Utah state legislature and the governor ought to pass a law making The Church of Latter Day Saints (aka Mormonism) be the official religion of Utah.

Indeed, Thomas Jefferson in his famous letter exchanges with the Baptists Association of Danbury Connecticut (in which the phrase "wall of separation between church and state" comes from) implicitly was worried about the First Amendment not applying to the states and only to the Federal Government.

Ah, but then the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868 soon after the Civil War:

===

Amendment XIV
Section 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

...

Section 5.
The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

===

Notice what that says in Section 1.

"No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States"

"[No state shall] deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

The 14th Amendment (along with the Supremacy Clause in Article VI) give the Federal Government the power over the states to make sure that no state can fuck over anybody. And in numerous Supreme Court cases since, the 14th Amendment basically meant that all of the rights in the Constitution are enjoyed by everyone everywhere in the country.

And keep in mind that the states ratified these meaning they agreed to it.

That's the way it is. And that's the way it should be. After all, you don't want to be forced to join the state's religion if it disagrees with the one you believe in, right? (That's what the Danbury Baptists were afraid of since Baptists are a minority in Connecticut.)

[abc3643]

Disagree all you want, but, if you're an American, be happy that thing are the way they are...
That is, unless your a profound asshole who wishes to oppress others.
But, remember this:
If you think it's OK for the majority to oppress the minority, keep in mind that, you are a minority in something. So, when you protect minority rights, you are actually protecting your own rights. And if you can oppress the rights of minorities, then, sooner or later, some other majority that you are not a member of can oppress yours.
That's the real world.

[Anonymous]

I really don't think that the US government can be reformed, at least not without a complete house cleaning.

It is so hopelessly, willfully and utterly corrupted, no one who plays any part in it even wants it to function properly.

The entire system is dysfunctional from the bottom to the top.

[HavicZero]

This question has to be written by a Russian person because it just screams. How much they don't know how any justice system works

[abc3643]

I have a feeling she's from Arkansas.

[Anonymous]

I think it was that way originally but now that the Bill of Rights applies to the states, the court had jurisdiction over a lot of matters coming out of individual states.

[DWornock]

That is how it should be. The supreme court injects themselves into far too many things outside of the Constitution.

[QuietRunner]

Like the Constitution says

[SaoirseS]

Nope.