system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: When a US judge rules something as unconstitutional, why is it not automatically the same ruling for all other states? All states have the same constitution right?
gpt
Often those rulings will be used as legal precedent to help overturn the law in other states, but it can't automatically apply everywhere for two reasons.

First, it's often a state law being overturned.
Second, the state court only has jurisdiction over that state.

Plus, it may be unconstitutional in terms of the state's constitution - most if not all states have one in addition to the federal one.