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The Federalist Steward.Fifty laboratories, not one blueprint.

You see the states as the Constitution’s first line of self-government. Most decisions belong close to the people they affect, and Washington should act only where the document clearly gives it the power.

Take the compassSee how you’d rule

Where you stand. On all five axes.

Reading the Constitution

Leans original meaning

States and the nation

Strongly states

The presidency

Balanced

Liberty and order

Balanced

The courts

Leans judicial restraint
Original meaningLiving documentNational governmentStatesThe MadisonianThe Originalist SentinelThe Constitutional LibertarianThe Civil Liberties ChampionThe Living ConstitutionalistThe National BuilderThe Strong but Fair ExecutiveThe Guardian of OrderThe MajoritarianThe Pragmatic Centrist
The Federalist Steward (filled) among the other 10. Hover a dot for its name.

The Federalist Steward

“Closer to home is closer to the people.”

  • States and the nationStrongly states
  • Reading the ConstitutionLeans original meaning
  • The courtsLeans judicial restraint

constilumen.com/play/compass

Your profile card. What you’d share.

Take the compass and your own card shows your scores on every axis. Copy the link to your result and anyone who opens it sees the same picture.

Where you’re strong

  • Lets communities differ instead of fighting over one national rule
  • Keeps federal power within its listed bounds

Where you’re tested

  • States have also been the ones denying rights
  • National problems can outrun state lines

Your docket. How you’d likely rule.

Six hypothetical cases, decided from where The Federalist Steward stands on each one’s axis. Hypothetical on purpose: no real judge’s record is implied.

DocketThe Federalist Steward
  1. No. 01State v. Federal MandateA governor refuses to carry out a new federal program inside the state.States and the nationSides with the state: Washington cannot commandeer it.
  2. No. 02In re AirstrikesThe President orders sustained airstrikes abroad without asking Congress.The presidencyWeighs the facts; could go either way.
  3. No. 03City v. Rally OrganizersA city bans a peaceful rally whose message most residents find hateful.Liberty and orderWeighs the facts; could go either way.
  4. No. 04Challengers v. Popular StatuteA law passed by a wide margin is challenged as unconstitutional.The courtsDefers to the legislature unless the violation is plain.
  5. No. 05Petitioner v. Unnamed RightA court is asked to recognize a right the text never names.Reading the ConstitutionDeclines: it is not in the text or the nation’s tradition.
  6. No. 06People v. Roadside SearchPolice search a car without a warrant and find evidence of a crime.Liberty and orderWeighs the facts; could go either way.

The clauses you lean on. In the document itself.

The Tenth Amendment

Powers not given to the nation stay with the states or the people.

Enumerated powers

Congress may do what Article I lists, not whatever it wishes.

The Guarantee Clause

Each state keeps a republican government of its own.

Cases that test you. From the record.

The landmark cases that turned on your two strongest axes: states and the nation and reading the constitution.

Your rival: The National Builder

One nation, able to act as one.

Read their side

Further reading. Official and nonpartisan.

The Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments, as ratified in 1791.

National Archives

Register to vote

Registration deadlines and how to register in every state and territory.

U.S. government

Constitution Annotated

The official, clause-by-clause analysis of how the Constitution has been interpreted.

Library of Congress

The Interactive Constitution

Each clause explained by scholars from different perspectives.

National Constitution Center

All civic resources, including how to register to vote and find your election office.

All 11 constitutionalists. Which are you?

The MadisonianAmbition must be made to counteract ambition.The Originalist SentinelThe words meant something, and they still do.The Federalist StewardFifty laboratories, not one blueprint.The Constitutional LibertarianThe Bill of Rights is a list of things government may not do.The Civil Liberties ChampionRights are most tested when they are least popular.The Living ConstitutionalistA charter meant to endure for ages to come.The National BuilderOne nation, able to act as one.The Strong but Fair ExecutiveEnergy in the executive, under the law.The Guardian of OrderTo insure domestic Tranquility.The MajoritarianLet the people decide.The Pragmatic CentristIt depends on the case.
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