Really.
Article III, Section. 2.
Clause 1:
"The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority;--to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls;--to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;--to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party;--to Controversies between two or more States;--between a State and Citizens of another State; --between Citizens of different States,--between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects."
The Constitution gave it competence and the Union Army gave it force.
Walt
Operative word, "under".
Get this through your thick skull, Wlat. When the People assemble in convention, they may set aside the Constitution and everything made under it. When the People assemble, they can resume every last one of the powers they granted the United States of America and rescind every last provision of the Constitution, individually or in bulk. When the People assemble and resume their Sovereign aspect, only the invisible God of Israel has authority over them.
Get it?
...the Union Army gave it force.
Violence, you mean.