Federal vs Provincial Government
In order for a nation’s legal and justice system to be organized, there is typically a separation between the provincial and the federal government. Let’s take the United States as an example. The judicial system in this country is made up of the federal and state court systems. According to the official website of the US Courts, although the federal and state court systems are responsible for hearing certain types of cases, one is not completely independent of the other.
Now, when it comes to the government itself, here are the key differences between the two. In the US, the federal government is the central government, which is established by the Constitution of the United States. The federal government has sovereignty over the entire US, while a state government has sovereignty over each individual state. The federal government has the legislative, executive and judicial branch, while the state government is a unique entity, all its own. Federal law-making is overseen by the US Congress, which is composed of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate, while local state laws are determined by the state legislature, which is composed of the House of Representatives and the State Senate.
If the federal government is headed by the president, the state government has the governor as its highest elected official. Since most states in the US have varying state-wide laws, it seems as if the state government has a greater influence over the lives of the American people, as compared to the federal government ‘“ although, one is not completely independent of the other.
As a summary, a state government runs the state under local state laws, while the federal government is responsible for the running of all the states, and following federal laws.
Summary:
1. The federal government runs all the states combined, under common federal law, while the state, or provincial government, operates under local state-wide laws.
2. The federal government is run by the President, while the state government is led by the Governor.
3. The federal government has sovereignty over the entire US, while a state government has sovereignty over each individual state.
4. The federal government is where the federal laws that are made by the US Congress, are applied, while the state government is where state-wide laws made.