Search

Constitutional sheriffs are a self-described group of right-wing sheriffs that believe and act as though the elected county sheriff if the highest authority of the law within their jurisdiction, with the power to deem federal and state laws unconstitutional, and therefore, refuse to enforce them. In this thesis, I argue that constitutional sheriff ideology centers counties as the locus of authority and legitimacy, upending the traditional understanding of federalism, originating from Western and Southern political cultures. Constitutional sheriff ideology is shaped by the geographical region and contemporary right-wing movements in the American West and South. Anti-federal ideology is central to constitutional sheriff ideology, and similar right-wing movements.