Cite as: 517 U. S. 44 (1996)
Opinion of the Court
Here, petitioner has sued the State of Florida and it is undisputed that Florida has not consented to the suit. See Blatchford, supra, at 782 (States by entering into the Constitution did not consent to suit by Indian tribes). Petitioner nevertheless contends that its suit is not barred by state sovereign immunity. First, it argues that Congress through the Act abrogated the States' sovereign immunity. Alternatively, petitioner maintains that its suit against the Governor may go forward under Ex parte Young, supra. We consider each of those arguments in turn.
II
Petitioner argues that Congress through the Act abrogated the States' immunity from suit. In order to determine whether Congress has abrogated the States' sovereign immunity, we ask two questions: first, whether Congress has "unequivocally expresse[d] its intent to abrogate the immunity," Green v. Mansour, 474 U. S. 64, 68 (1985); and second, whether Congress has acted "pursuant to a valid exercise of power," ibid.
A
Congress' intent to abrogate the States' immunity from suit must be obvious from "a clear legislative statement." Blatchford, supra, at 786. This rule arises from a recognition of the important role played by the Eleventh Amend-States v. Mississippi, 380 U. S. 128, 140 (1965); Employees of Dept. of Public Health and Welfare of Mo. v. Department of Public Health and Welfare of Mo., 411 U. S. 279, 280 (1973); Edelman v. Jordan, 415 U. S. 651, 662-663 (1974); Fitzpatrick v. Bitzer, 427 U. S. 445 (1976); Cory v. White, 457 U. S. 85 (1982); Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman, 465 U. S. 89, 97-100 (1984); Atascadero State Hospital v. Scanlon, 473 U. S. 234, 237-238 (1985); Welch v. Texas Dept. of Highways and Public Transp., 483 U. S. 468, 472-474 (1987) (plurality opinion); Dellmuth v. Muth, 491 U. S. 223, 227-229, and n. 2 (1989); Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corp. v. Feeney, 495 U. S. 299, 304 (1990); Blatchford v. Native Village of Noatak, 501 U. S. 775, 779 (1991); Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority v. Metcalf & Eddy, Inc., 506 U. S. 139, 144 (1993).
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