Federalism is a big part of why the US has such a problem with civil liberties. A lot of states are completely backwards on things like gay rights, abortion, public school funding, separation of church and state etc. etc. even though the country as a whole is more progressive than that, but since each state has two senators, the people in Mississippi and Wyoming have equal senatorial representation to California and New York and states like that. Senate and electoral college aside, the voters in those states still elect governors and legislators that either have a poor track record on or are outright opposed to most civil liberties and constitutional rights, making states like Mississippi far worse places to live than states with populations that are overall more reasonable.