General Introduction

The state attorney general is not the only government official with responsbility with interpreting and applying the law within a state. Counties, cities, and towns all have varying degrees of responsbility. Before considering what happens when state and local officials disagree, we look at the increasiongly polarized differences among urban, suburban, and rural communities, in which there are not only “blue states” and “red states,” but within those states, there are “blue cities” and “red counties.” We then consider the differing outcomes depending on the extent of "home rule" and intrastate preemption.