The court barely matters.
Bednar 14 Jenna Bednar, PoliSci Prof @ UMich [The Resilience of the American Federal System, Handbook of Constitutional Law, Oxford University Press, http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jbednar/WIP/handbook.pdf]//BPS
Undeniably these shifts in doctrine are meaningful, but that does not imply that the Court is responsible for shaping American federalism. As the reference to Republican appintees should make clear, the Court reflects important changes in the American political system, including the election of Republican presidents far more antagonistic to expanding national power than Democratic presidents since Franklin Roosevelt. It is inaccurate to infer that the Court is exclusively—or even primarily—responsible for shaping American federalism. Instead, other forces may lay the groundwork, with the Court finishing a process begun in other arenas, by other agents.