David Gorhan
MBA 610 Business Law
Final Paper: Federal Preemption
January 25, 2015
Cases about federal preemption should be easily decided. The basis of the concept is written clearly in the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution. Article VI, Paragraph 2 states:
This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding. (Cornell University Law School, n.d.)
Essentially, the Supremacy Clause states that the laws promulgated by the U.S. government take priority over any laws that the individual states have enacted. The forefathers of the United States understood that while some issues should be under the states’ discretion, others have more of a national concern. Based on the Supremacy Clause, states are prohibited from passing laws that are inconsistent with federal law. In turn state constitutions have also inserted Supremacy Clauses in their own constitutions that prohibit the municipalities from enacting laws that are inconsistent with state laws. However obvious and simple this concept sounds, the Supreme Court of the U.S. (SCOTUS) has seen over twelve cases in the last five years concerning federal preemption and the balance between state and federal power and
It is important because it brings a balance of power by allowing states to make their own laws and still keeping the national government as the supreme decider for situations when conflict arises. In Gibbons v. Ogden, New York tried to monopolize on steamboat operations. The federal government has the power to regulate any and all interstate activity under the Commerce clause and this is enforced through the Supremacy clause. New York exercised an authority that is reserved to the federal government through the Commerce clause. As a result of the Supremacy Clause, Congress is given power over the states. Any nature of interstate commerce fell under federal government jurisdiction. In the Gibbons v Ogden case, the Supreme Court upheld broad congressional power to regulate interstate commerce, stating that the New York Law was invalid by virtue of the supremacy clause. Marshall's was one of the earliest and most influential opinions concerning this important clause. He concluded that regulation of navigation by steamboat operators and others for purposes of conducting interstate commerce was a power reserved to and exercised by the Congress. This case is an example of federalism were the Federal government is given a power that over the states and supersedes States’
11. Which clause states that the Constitution, and federal statutes and treaties, shall be the supreme law of the land.
“Federalism, central to the constitutional design, adopts the principle that both the National and State Governments have elements of sovereignty the other is bound to respect.” Arizona v. United States, 132 S. Ct. 2492, 2500 (2012). The Supremacy Clause provides a clear rule that federal law “shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.” Art. VI, cl. 2. Under this standard, Congress has the power to preempt state law. Arizona, 132 S. Ct. at 2495; Crosby v. National Foreign Trade Council, 530 U.S. 363, 372 (2000); Gibbons v. Ogden, 9 Wheat. 1, 210–211 (1824). However, it is assumed that historic State police powers are not superseded “unless that was the clear and manifest purpose of Congress.” Arizona, 132 S. Ct. at 2501; Rice v. Santa Fe Elevator Corp., 331 U.S. 218, 230 (1947).
Article VI of the U.S Constitution contains the supremacy clause and is essentially declaring that it is “the supreme law of the land and superior to all laws adopted by any state or subdivision”(pg.71). In addition another main difference is the necessary and proper clause which is found in Article I, Section 8. This clause provides Congress to make all laws “necessary and proper to carry out its powers.”(pg.72) Throughout the history of Texas’s constitutions, drafters of the constitution have been unwilling to let government interfere as much with the state by essentially constricting officeholder with extensive grants of discretionary
In the Marbury Vs. Madison’s case Justice John Marshall represented the case and I strongly believe that his points were solid and worth to be granted true and rational. John Marshall’s argument is that the acts of Congress in conflict with the Constitution are not laws and therefore are not progressed into law to the courts, and ultimately the judicial boards’ first responsibility is always to practice and to make firm of the Constitution.
Under the doctrine of preemption, federal law preempts state law, even when the laws conflict. The doctrine of preemption is based on the Supremacy Clause established under Article VI of the U.S. Constitution which dictates that federal law “shall be the supreme Law of the Land.”
The supremacy clause states that the United States Constitution, treaties, federal laws, and federal regulations are the supreme law of the land, if this didn’t exist then states would have more power over the federal government.
a. Supremacy Law- “ The constitution and the laws of the United States which shall be made in the pursuance thereof... shall be the supreme law of the land.”
The Supremacy Clause is a statement in the US Constitution that says that “the laws of the United States… shall be the supreme law of the land.” This was created to resolve any disputes among laws of the states and of the nation. The supremacy
The supremacy specifies what powers the federal government does or does not have, the supremacy clause also makes any state law that conflicts with a federal law invalid. With the supremacy clause in place states had no place to participate, interfere, control, and regulate any federal issue. An example of this is the 1819 Supreme Court Case of McCulloch v. Maryland where the Supreme Court ruled in favor of McCulloch since Maryland unconstitutionally taxed the Bank of United States since it was a federal institution. Federalism under Marshall Court greatly expanded the national government’s power, however his successor Justice Taney supported dual federalism which would favor both the national level and state level governments. The basic practice at the time was that the federal government was left with to its enumerated powers and all other powers would belong to the state government. Under dual federalism the federal and state governments would work together on policies. All was well until the mid 1800’s when slavery became a hot topic in America. A major reason why the South seceded from the United States and formed the Confederation was because the national government was forcing their policies on the local Southern state governments rather than try to negotiate and work with them. After the Civil War dual federalism came back in place as the
In the United States Constitution it is stated that “No single section of the constitution deals with federalism. Instead, the provisions dividing power between the states and the national government appear throughout the constitution. Most of the constitution is concerned with establishing the powers of the national government. National power is also based on the supremacy clause of article VI, which says that the constitution and laws made in accordance with it are “the supreme law of the land”. This means that when national and state laws conflict, the national laws will be followed. Article I, section 9 limits the power of the national government over individuals. The tenth amendment the constitution also limits the state powers in Article I, section10 and denies the states certain powers” (Keeping the
Describe the Supremacy Clause and explain what happens when there is a direct conflict between federal and state law.
The Supremacy Clause is a federal mandate in the U.S. Constitution that stated whenever conflict between state-level and national-level authority, the federal government always has supremacy in the matter, meaning that the federal government is the supreme law of the land. “When a state law conflicts with a federal law, the Supremacy Clause provides resolution” (Dow). This authority extended to all three branches of the federal
On the other hand, as regards the modern states, the mother of all laws is the constitution. It therefore
The judicial Power is entitled to all citizens Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority; to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls; to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction; to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party; to Controversies between two or more States; between a State and Citizens of another State; between Citizens of different States; between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects.”The jurisdiction of the federal courts was further