Question

Difficulty: HardFederal System of Government

In a federal system of government, the central legislature possesses the supreme constitutional authority to unilaterally alter the legislative distribution of powers without requiring the consent or constitutional ratification of the federating component units.

Answer: Answer

Answer

False
In a true federal system, component states and the central government share coordinate authority derived from a supreme, rigid constitution. Consequently, the central legislature cannot unilaterally amend the constitutional allocation of powers without formal ratification by the federating units.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the core assertion regarding constitutional amendment power in a federal system.
The statement asserts that the central legislature can unilaterally modify the division of legislative powers.
Examining amendment authority is essential for identifying whether sovereignty is shared or centralized.
2
Evaluate the constitutional relationship between the central government and federating units in a federal system.
Both levels of government derive their power directly from a supreme, rigid constitution and act as coordinate authorities rather than subordinate bodies.
Coordinate autonomy prevents either level from altering the constitutional contract independently.
3
Determine the true/false value based on federal principles.
The assertion describes unitary legislative supremacy rather than federal constitutional rigidity, making the statement false.
Federal constitutions mandate dual-level ratification mechanisms involving component units for structural constitutional amendments.

Key Concept

Constitutional Rigidity and Amendment Procedure in Federalism
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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