How do you approach a cross-jurisdiction problem requiring integrating federal, state, and local authorities?

• A. Identify applicable jurisdictions; pull controlling authorities from each; check conflicts and preemption; synthesize and present.
• B. Always default to federal law.
• C. Rely only on local ordinances.
• D. Ignore conflicts and present a single rule.

Answer: (A)

When approaching a cross-jurisdiction problem, the essential step is to map out and apply the authorities from each level that actually bind the issue. Start by identifying all the jurisdictions involved—federal, state, and local—that could govern the matter. Then pull the controlling authorities from each level: federal statutes or regulations, state statutes and precedents, and local ordinances or rules that have binding effect on the issue at hand.

Next, examine how these rules interact. Look for conflicts and determine whether preemption applies—express preemption in the statute, implied preemption (field or obstacle), or the absence of any preemption at all. If a conflict exists, apply the appropriate hierarchy: federal law can preempt state or local rules, but if federal law does not preempt, state or local rules may govern.

Finally, synthesize a coherent approach by combining the valid rules from each jurisdiction into a single, practicable conclusion, while noting any gaps or uncertainties that might require further analysis or jurisdiction-specific interpretation.

Relying solely on federal law is not always correct, since many issues are governed by state or local rules and may not be preempted. Relying only on local ordinances ignores higher-level authority, and ignoring conflicts or presenting a single rule fails to account for how different jurisdictions interact and where preemption may apply.