Although often commonly referred to as the “sweeping clause” or the “elastic clause,” the “necessary and proper” clause is not in fact as expansive as its nicknames suggests.
In a certain sense, the Tenth Amendment the last of the 10 amendments that make up the Bill of Rights is but a truism that adds nothing to the original Constitution.
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The 10th Amendment: An affirmative limit on Congress?
James W. Pfister
Federalism is the relationship between two sovereigns: state government and federal government, guided by the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, Article VI, Section 2. Once the power of the federal government attaches to something, it is, “…complete in itself, may be exercised to its utmost extent, and acknowledges no limitations, other than are prescribed in the constitution.” (Chief Justice John Marshall in Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824). The first nine amendments in the Bill of Rights constitute such a limitation; does the last one, the 10th Amendment, also constitute a limitation?
The 10th Amendment states: “The powers not delegated to the United States (i.e., federal government) by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States (i.e., Article I, Section 10), are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” This power of states is derived from Article II of our first Constitution, the
Federalism Is How Americans Have Historically Resolved Bitter Disputes
March 1, 2021
Federalism is like a diet. Both the left and right try to stick to it, but each abandons it when the craving for the policy equivalent of fries and a shake grows too strong. The left, which normally looks to the national government for policy solutions, cheerfully applauds state efforts to deal with the least local of all environmental problems: climate change.
Last year, President Trump threatened to use the military to quell looting and overrule the decisions of state governors on COVID regulations. But if one really wants to fit into that prom dress or make weight for the wrestling match, one needs to stick to the diet, even when it means leaving tasty policies you crave on the table.