alt Hacker NewsStates absolutely have autonomy. And not just on paper. And a lot of it is just in the amount of friction that the federal government can get.
E.g. Trump sent ICE goons to MN and now he's embroiled in dozens of lawsuits because of that. Yes, he probably will win most of them eventually, but they all take time and energy. With a lot of negative PR along the way.
MN can't even give two murderers a fair trial because apparently Trump's goons can kill anyone they want, and then go scurry off like roaches.
If states had autonomy, those animals and their accomplices would be behind bars right now.