

The Court has settled on a doctrinal framework that treats out-of-state court judgments differently from out-of-state laws.

#FULL FAITH AND CREDIT CLAUSE FULL#
See generally ArtIV.S1.3.2 Modern Doctrine on Full Faith and Credit Clause. The Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Clause has shifted over time. The Clause also requires states to give Full Faith and Credit to the Records and judicial Proceedings of every other State.

19, 2016) ( A statute is a ‘public Act’ within the meaning of the Full Faith and Credit Clause.). The Clause requires each state to give Full Faith and Credit to the public Acts of every other State, such as other states’ statutes.
#FULL FAITH AND CREDIT CLAUSE FREE#
404, 407 (2016) (per curiam) (explaining that the Full Faith and Credit Clause alter the status of the several states as independent foreign sovereignties, each free to ignore obligations created under the laws or by the judicial proceedings of the others, and to make them integral parts of a single nation) (quoting Milwaukee Cnty. The Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause mitigates that risk by adjusting the states’ interrelationships. at 704 ( here is always a risk that two or more States will exercise their power over the same case or controversy, with the uncertainty, confusion, and delay that necessarily accompany relitigation of the same issue.). See, e.g., Underwriters Nat’l Assurance, 455 U.S. This structure creates a risk that multiple states will exercise their powers over the same issue or dispute, leading to confusion and uncertainty. 691, 703–04 (1982) ( Ours is a union of States, each having its own judicial system capable of adjudicating the rights and responsibilities of the parties brought before it.). See also, e.g., Underwriters Nat’l Assurance Co. See Intro.7.3 Federalism and the Constitution. The Constitution’s federalist structure allows each state to maintain its own government. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof. Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State.
