The U.S. Constitution identifies the supreme law of the land as follows: "This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding" (Article VI, Paragraph 2). This passage, known as the supremacy clause, asserts that, in the United States, the federal constitution and federal laws take precedence over state constitutions and state laws. More generally and informally, the "supreme law of the land" refers to the highest or most authoritative form of law in a given country, usually its written constitution.
