What is the doctrine of nullification?

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The doctrine of nullification is the claim that states have the right to nullify national acts that they believe to be beyond national constitutional authority. This doctrine was famously invoked by southern states in the lead up to the Civil War, who argued that they had the right to nullify federal laws they believed conflicted with their perceived right to maintain slave labor. Ultimately, the Supreme Court rejected this doctrine in cases like Cooper v. Aaron (1958), holding that under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, federal law is the supreme law of the land, and that state officials are bound to uphold and follow it.

What Is the Doctrine of Nullification