states' righter

noun

1. a person who opposes U.S. federal intervention in affairs of the separate states, supporting this position by a strict interpretation of the Constitution of the U.S.

Word History and Origins

Origin of states' righter¹

First recorded in 1940–45; states' right(s) + -er ¹

Example Sentences

You’re a states’ righter, you say? 

From Slate

Although he is a firm states'-righter, he rarely turns down a federal handout.

From Time Magazine Archive

Willis Robertson was a states'-righter opposing Bush's bold civil rights views.

From Time Magazine Archive

Jefferson, a fundamental states'-righter who despised the kind of centralization represented by a federal bank, wrote that the authority to create such a national corporation was "not among the powers specially enumerated . . . by the Constitution."

From Time Magazine Archive

"We're all happy to be Americans," says this new-style states'-righter, "but we're not going to let you rip us off."

From Time Magazine Archive