How US Federalism Creates Dual Sovereignty

Why does the US have two chambers of Congress, and how does federalism divide authority between Washington and the states? This episode breaks down the structural logic behind the House and Senate — from the Great Compromise of 1787 to the filibuster’s accidental origins — and explains how the Tenth Amendment reserves most criminal and civil law to the states. The payoff is the dual sovereignty doctrine: how a single act can produce separate federal and state prosecutions without violating double jeopardy. Essential listening for anyone trying to make sense of American political and legal structure from the outside.