federal law

American  

[fed-er-uhl law] / ˈfɛd ər əl ˈlɔ /

noun

1. a law or body of laws passed by the central government of the United States or of any other country comprising states, provinces, or other quasi-autonomous units.

   This act to protect migratory birds is a federal law enforcing an international agreement to which the United States is a party.

   She is an expert on federal law.

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Example Sentences

But a Times analysis of court records related to assaults on federal law enforcement in Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland, Ore., Chicago and Washington, D.C., shows the majority of the alleged attacks resulted in no injury to an agent.

From Los Angeles Times

The only documented incident in which a federal law enforcement officer was shot during an immigration enforcement action this year happened in Los Angeles in October — when a bullet from an ICE agent’s gun ricocheted into a deputy marshal’s hand during a vehicle stop.

From Los Angeles Times

County counsel Dawyn R. Harrison told the supervisors the ordinance “would most likely be challenged on the supremacy clause,” which holds that federal law supersedes state and local law.

From Los Angeles Times

Federal law states that Homeland Security should first seek out alternative countries to which the person being deported has some personal connection, and then, if that’s “impracticable, inadvisable, or impossible,” find a country whose government is willing to accept them.

From Los Angeles Times

During World War I, Congress enacted the Adamson Act in 1916, establishing an eight-hour workday for railroad workers—the first federal law regulating private-sector hours.

From The Wall Street Journal