Civic Literacy Court cases - Florida Civic Literacy | Verified | Latest Update 2024

United States v. Lopez (1995) Short summary - Alfonzo Lopez was a Texas high school senior who took a concealed weapon inside his school. Federal charges were soon imposed because he violated the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. The act stated that individuals could not possess firearms within school zones based on the premise of the Commerce Clause. United States v. Lopez (1995) constitutional issue: - This case explored a constitutional issue involving the commerce clause, whether the Gun free school Zone act of 1990 exceeded the power allowed by the cause United States v. Lopez (1995) holdings and constitutional principle: - In the ruling, the law was considered unconstitutional since having a gun at the school zone did not substantially affect interstate commerce, McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) summary - In 1816, the Second Bank of the United States was chartered; soon after, in 1818, however, Maryland decided to pass a law that imposed taxes on the bank. James McCulloch, who served as a cashier at the Baltimore branch of the Second Bank, decided not to pay the tax. The state court had ruled that the Bank was unconstitutional, to begin with, and that the federal government did not have the authority to charter a bank McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) holdings and constitutional principles - Congress concluded based on the Necessary & Proper Clause thatCongress is not limited by its expressed powers. It was decided that through Congress' implied powers, theyhad the ability to create a bank. Congress also concluded based on the Supremacy Clause that because thenational laws were superior to state laws, the states were not allowed to tax the federal government.