Sovereignty is a political concept that refers to a dominant power or supreme authority. In a monarchy, supreme power resides in the sovereign, such as a king or queen. In modern democracies, sovereign power rests with the people and is exercised through representative bodies such as Congress or Parliament. The sovereign is the entity that exercises power without limitation.
Sovereignty essentially encompasses the power to make laws, as defined by William Blackstone. It implies autonomy, meaning that the sovereign power is beyond the reach of external interference.
In addition to lawmaking power, two other often contentious aspects of sovereignty are eminent domain and sovereign immunity. Eminent domain refers to the right of the sovereign to take private property for public use, while sovereign immunity offers the sovereign protection from lawsuits.
[Last updated in June of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team]