ABSTRACT
TheUnitedStatesisacomplexlegalordercomprisedof50 differentstateswithinasinglesuperimposednationwidefederal systemhavingsuperiorpowerunderthefederalconstitutionover limitedyetveryimportantsubject-matterareas.Thestatesare supremewithintheirownsubject-matterareasunderthefederal constitution.Thereisnotanyhighestlegislative,judicialoradministrativebodythatexertsfinalcontroloverallstatutoryinterpretationalpracticesofallcourtswithinallfields.TheUnitedStates SupremeCourt,thehighestfederalcourt,hasfinaljudicialauthorityonlyinregardtotheinterpretationoffederalstatutes.The appellatejudicialauthorityofthefederalSupremeCourtextends, amongotherthings,tocasesinterpretingfederalstatutesdecided bythevariousfederalcourtsofappeal,andtocasesinterpreting federalstatutesdecidedbystatesupremecourts.Theappellate judicialauthorityofthefederalSupremeCourtdoesnotextendto theinterpretationalpracticesofstatesupremecourtswithrespect tostatestatutes,thatis,statutespassedbyastatelegislaturerather thanbythefederalCongress.Inregardtostatuteslassedbythe statelegislatures,thestatesupremecourtshavefinaauthority.
