1800-1850
McCulloch vs. Maryland, 1819
In 1819, state of Maryland passed a law requiring all banks chartered outside the state to pay a tax.
James McCulloch, an officer at the Baltimore branch of the second bank of the United States, refused to pay the tax, leading to a lawsuit.
Who won? (Maryland/state, McCulloh)
McCulloh won, Maryland's law was found unconstitutional, and a state interference to federal power.
Pollock vs. Farmers’ Loan & Trust Co., 1895
1894, Congress passed a law creating a federal income tax, targeting the rich. Charles Pollock, a rich stockholder in the Farmers’ loan and trust company, sued the company to stop it from paying the new tax, saying it was unconstitutional.
Who won? (Pollock/state, or Farmers' Co./national)
Pollock/state won- the court decided it was unconstitutional to tax on income from property, as if it was a direct tax
South Dakota vs. Dole, 1987
Congress wanted all states to raise the legal drinking age to 21, so they passed a law saying that if a state didn't raise it, they would lose 5% of federal highway funding
South Dakota sued, saying it was unconstitutional to force laws upon a state.
Who won? (South Dakota/state, or Congress/national)
Congress/national won- the court said congress was in fact allowed to do that, because they were not forcing, but encouraging states to change the drinking age
Gibbons vs. Ogden, 1824
Aaron Ogden and Thomas Gibbons ran competing steamboat companies between New York and New Jersey, Ogden had a state license from New York to run boats there, and Gibbons had a federal license from the US to run boats there.
Ogden sued, saying Gibbons wasn't allowed to operate in state waters without New York's permission
Who won? (Ogden/state, Gibbons/national)
Gibbons, or national won- Chief Justice John Marshall said that the federal government had the power to regulate interstate commerce, not the states.
National Leagueof Cities vs. Usery, 1976
Congress passed a law that extended federal minimum wage and overtime rules to state and local government employees, National league of cities said this was unfair, they argued the federal government was interfering with how states managed their own workers
Who won? (League of cities/state, or Congress/national)
National league of cities/states won, court said federal government couldn’t force states to follow federal labor laws, because that violated the state’s rights
New York vs. United States, 1992
In the 80s, the US had a problem with all the radioactive waste, and not enough space to safely store it. Congress passed a law in 1985 encouraging states to take care of their radioactive waste- if states didn’t make plans to handle their waste, they could be forced to be responsible for all of it.
New York objected, saying it was unconstitutional for the federal government to force state governments to something
Who won? (New York/state, or Congress/national)
New York/states won, the court decided that congress cannot force states to carry out federal laws or policies
Worcester vs. Georgia, 1832
State of Georgia passed laws saying non-native Americans couldn’t live on Cherokee land without a state permit. Samuel Worcester, a missionary who lived with the Cherokees, believed that Georgia had no authority over Cherokee land.
Who won? (Georgia/state, or Worcester/national)
Worcester/national won- the court ruled that the Cherokees were a separate nation, and only the federal government had power over it, not the state.
Garcia vs. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority (SAMTA), 1985
SAMTA, who ran the city's bus system, said it didn’t have to follow federal minimum wage and overtime laws because it was part of a local government-back in 1976, Supreme court said states were protected from those federal rules
An employee, Joe Garcia, said this was unconstitutional, and sued
Who won? (SAMTA/state, or Garcia & Congress/national)
Garcia & Congress/national won, court said that congress did have that power, and the court overturned that its decision from 1976
Printz vs. United States, 1997
Congress passed the Brady Handgun violence prevention act, which required local sheriffs and police chiefs to do a background check on people who wanted to buy guns.
Two local sheriffs, Jay Printz and Richard Mack sued, saying that the federal government couldn’t force them to carry out federal gun control laws
Who won? (Printz/states, or Congress/national)
Printz/states won- The court said that the federal government could not do that because it violated the tenth amendment, which protects states’ rights