Marshall Court Decisions

McCulloch v. Maryland

Dealt with the national bank.
Established loose construction and loose interpretation of the Constitution.
Affirmed the supremacy clause, which states that the Constitution and federal laws are the supreme law of the land.

Involved brothers selling illegal lottery tickets.
Established the principle that the federal government has the right to review all state court decisions.
If a state supreme court makes a decision, the U.S. Supreme Court can review it.
Extended federal power by allowing oversight of state decisions.

Dealt with interstate commerce.
Established that the federal government regulates commerce that crosses state lines.
This includes not just goods but also people (e.g., trafficking, kidnapping).
Also involves industries like hotels and travel because they involve people moving across state lines.
The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was established to oversee interstate commerce.
The case involved steamboats operating between New York and New Jersey.
Gibbons challenged Ogden's monopoly, and the federal government asserted its control over interstate commerce.

Involved Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
Ruled that states cannot interfere with contracts.
The college's charter was considered a contract that the state could not violate.
This gave more power to corporations because states could not interfere with their contracts.
Prevented both the federal government and states from reigning in corporations.