Jeffrey S. Sutton, a federal appellate judge on the Sixth Circuit, makes the case that American constitutional law has been impoverished by exclusive focus on the federal Constitution and federal courts. Sutton argues that state constitutions and state courts have independent authority to protect individual rights and structure government, authority that has been underappreciated by legal scholars and practitioners alike. The book examines how state constitutions often provide stronger protections than their federal counterpart, particularly in areas like education, criminal procedure, and environmental rights. Sutton shows how the nationalization of constitutional law through incorporation has led lawyers to neglect state constitutional arguments and state judges to follow federal precedents even when state texts and traditions point elsewhere. He draws on his experience as both a state attorney general and federal judge to illustrate how federalism operates in practice and why state constitutional law matters. The book challenges both conservatives who emphasize states' rights in abstract terms and progressives who look exclusively to federal courts for constitutional protection. Sutton's argument that state courts can and should develop independent constitutional doctrines offers an alternative to the increasingly polarized debates over the federal judiciary. Essential reading for lawyers, judges, and citizens interested in how constitutionalism actually functions in America's federal system.