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Difficulty: MediumMcCulloch v. Maryland and United States v. Lopez

A student is studying how landmark Supreme Court decisions have shaped the balance of power between the national government and state governments.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)United States v. Lopez (1995)
Row 1Declared that Congress could only exercise powers explicitly enumerated in Article I.Declared that the federal government could regulate any activity related to public education.
Row 2Led to an expansion of federal power by validating the concept of implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause.Led to a restriction of federal power by narrowing the interpretation of the Commerce Clause.
Row 3Confirmed that states have the constitutional authority to tax federal operations under the Tenth Amendment.Confirmed that Congress has broad power to regulate local gun possession under the Commerce Clause.
Row 4Applied the Tenth Amendment to protect state sovereignty from federal overreach.Applied the Necessary and Proper Clause to allow federal regulation of local school zones.

Which of the following rows in the table correctly compares the constitutional holdings and their effects on federal power for the Supreme Court cases *McCulloch v. Maryland* (1819) and *United States v. Lopez* (1995)?

  1. A
    Row 1
  2. Row 2Answer
  3. C
    Row 3
  4. D
    Row 4

Answer

Row 2
The correct option (Row 2) accurately compares both cases. In *McCulloch v. Maryland*, the Court established that Congress possesses implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause, expanding federal authority. Conversely, in *United States v. Lopez*, the Court restricted federal authority by ruling that the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act exceeded congressional power under the Commerce Clause.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the ruling in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819).
The Court ruled that Congress has implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause to create a national bank, and states cannot tax it due to the Supremacy Clause. This expanded federal power.
To understand the constitutional clause and federalism effect of the first case.
2
Analyze the ruling in United States v. Lopez (1995).
The Court ruled that Congress exceeded its authority under the Commerce Clause when passing the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. This restricted federal power.
To understand the constitutional clause and federalism effect of the second case.
3
Evaluate the table rows to find the correct pairing.
Row 2 correctly states that McCulloch expanded federal power via implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause, and Lopez restricted federal power by narrowing the interpretation of the Commerce Clause.
To determine the option that represents the accurate constitutional comparison.

Key Concept

McCulloch v. Maryland and United States v. Lopez
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

McCulloch v. Maryland and United States v. Lopez

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