How is a federal law different from a state law?

Federal law trumps state law. That is to say, if a state law contradicts a federal law, the federal law prevails.

When you break a federal law, you must be tried in a federal court. Similarly, when you break a state law, you are tried in a state court.

Federal law applies to the whole country; state law is state-specific.

How exactly does this fit into the context of a third grader’s curriculum?

@lilikoi How exactly does this fit into the context of a third grader’s curriculum?

ditto, ditto, and ditto!

Social Studies?

Federal laws are those devised by the government of the entire Untied States, that is, Congress. They are signed into law by the President. State laws are created by the individual states for that state only. Some issues in the Untied States are controlledy by the Federal government and some issues, such as most of those surrounding marriage, are reserved for the states to decide.

Federal = country
State = state

Here is a simple way to tell the difference. remember 1,2,3 and you’ve got it:
1. Federal Law is at the top of the pyramid.
2. State Law is in the middle of the pyramid.
3. Local Law is at the bottom of the pyramid.

Federal Law effects everyone and everything across the nation. no state or local law can ever be No. 1. State law applies to each individual state and can never be No. 1. Local law is within your city or town and can never be No. 1 or No. 2. in a Metropolitan form of government, local laws can be combined with State Laws to perform the same function. 1,2,3.

And just to throw something in just for the sake of doing so, state labor laws do not apply to federal employees regardless of the state in which they work.