Supreme Court Case Analysis

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National and state governments evolved into much larger systems throughout the nation’s history. The United States began forming a federal system in 1787, starting with the Constitution. The Constitution of the United States of America is what the national and state governments are shaped around. It established the national government and the fundamental laws needed for everyday life as a United States’ citizen. During the time of the creation of the Constitution, the Supreme Court began making all the decisions. One of the first cases that the Supreme Court heard dealt with the idea of a national bank in the United States of America. This plan was greatly opposed by Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State. He stated that a national bank …show more content…
There was a great imbalance of power within the nation, resulting in many decisions to be made. Chief Justice John Marshall did just that. There were three major cases that outlined the imbalance of power. The first case is McCulloch v. Maryland. When Congress established the Second Bank of the United States in 1816, Maryland enacted a tax on the operations within the Baltimore’s branch of the bank. James McCulloch, one of the clerks within that bank, certainly refused to collect the tax. McCulloch state, “A state cannot tax an institution created by the national government.” The Supreme Court approved the right of national supremacy where the federal laws override state laws. This case set for an expansion of national power at a time when the economic production and commerce was flourishing. The Supreme Court finally heard their first case that tested these specific powers. Gibbons v. Ogden involved two steamboat operators, Thomas Gibbons and Aaron Ogden. Gibbons was a steamboat operator from New Jersey and Ogden was a steamboat operator from New York. The two of them had a dispute; Ogden received rights to operate off the coast of New York from the state of New York, and Gibbons received rights to operate off the coast of New Jersey by an act of Congress. As a result of this court case, it was decided that Congress is authorized to control commerce and overpower all state intercourse laws. Lastly, the Barron v. Baltimore case ruled that the Bill of Rights, which are the first ten amendments, could absolutely not restrict any powers of the states

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