Commerce Clause

What did Chief Justice John Marshall's ruling in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) (steamboat monopoly case) about the scope of Congress's power under the Commerce Clause?

• Congress can regulate interstate commerce, including navigation and transportation

• Congress can regulate only the buying and selling of goods

• Congress cannot regulate state-granted monopolies

How did the Supreme Court justify Congress's regulation of Filburn's wheat production?

• Filburn's activity, when aggregated with similar actions by others, could substantially affect interstate commerce

• Filburn's farm violated state-level agricultural agreements

• Filburn's activity caused direct harm to federal agricultural markets

Which of the following principles was reinforced by the Supreme Court in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) (steamboat monopoly case)?

• state laws can supersede federal laws in cases of economic regulation

• the Constitution does not grant Congress authority over navigation

• federal law is the supreme law of the land when state and federal laws conflict

What constitutional issue was at stake in Wickard v. Filburn (1942) (wheat case)?

• whether Congress could regulate purely local activities under the Commerce Clause

• whether Congress could set nationwide agricultural standards under the Equal Protection Clause

• whether the federal government could override state laws on farming practices

Match the following items regarding the Commerce Clause

• Upheld Commerce Clause power by agreeing that there was a connection between race and commerce

• US v Lopez

• First case involving the commerce clause to reach supreme court.

• Gibbons v Ogden

• The power to regulate interstate and foreign trade

• Civil Rights Act of 1964

• Prohibits discrimination in access to or service in public places based on race or ethnicity

• Heart of Atlanta Motel v US

• Supreme Court declared there was no connection between interstate commerce and guns at school

• Gongression Commerce Powers

What argument did Roscoe Filburn make to challenge the federal regulation of his wheat production?

• his excess wheat was not sold and therefore did not involve interstate commerce

• the federal government lacked authority over agricultural practices

• he had received prior permission to exceed the production quota

What precedent did Wickard v. Filburn (1942) (wheat case) set for interpreting the Commerce Clause?

• Congress could regulate only direct economic activities related to commerce

• Congress could regulate activities with an indirect or cumulative effect on interstate commerce

• Congress could regulate all agricultural practices within a state

What key legal principle emerged from Wickard v. Filburn (1942) (wheat case)?

• the Aggregate Effects Doctrine, where even local activities can be regulated if they collectively affect interstate commerce

• the Strict Scrutiny Test applied to all cases involving economic regulation

• the Non-Interference Doctrine, limiting federal regulation of private farming activities

Why is Wickard v. Filburn (1942) (wheat case) significant for federal regulatory power?

• it limited Congress's ability to regulate local commerce

• it provided broad justification for federal regulation of economic activities, even if local in nature

• it established that states have sole authority over agricultural practices

What broader impact did the decision in Heart of Atlanta Motel have on federal power?

• it limited federal authority over local businesses

• it expanded Congress's ability to address social issues using the Commerce Clause

• it required all states to pass their own anti-discrimination laws