US Federal System 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution requires states to:
- Adopt federal regulations automatically
- Honor the public acts and judicial decisions of other states (Correct answer)
- Extradite all criminals to other states immediately
- Apply the same tax rates as neighboring states
Correct answer: Honor the public acts and judicial decisions of other states
Article IV's Full Faith and Credit Clause ensures that legal judgments and official records of one state are recognized by all other states.
Question 2: Which Supreme Court case established that states cannot nullify or void federal laws they consider unconstitutional?
- Marbury v. Madison (1803)
- Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
- Ableman v. Booth (1859) (Correct answer)
- Lochner v. New York (1905)
Correct answer: Ableman v. Booth (1859)
Ableman v. Booth held that state courts cannot nullify federal law, firmly rejecting the nullification doctrine.
Question 3: The Privileges and Immunities Clause prevents states from:
- Regulating interstate commerce
- Discriminating against citizens of other states without substantial justification (Correct answer)
- Imposing tariffs on federal imports
- Refusing federal mandates on education
Correct answer: Discriminating against citizens of other states without substantial justification
Article IV's Privileges and Immunities Clause bars states from treating out-of-state citizens in a fundamentally discriminatory way.
Question 4: Federal mandates that require states to implement policies but provide NO funding to cover the costs are called:
- Categorical grants
- Revenue sharing
- Unfunded mandates (Correct answer)
- Block grants
Correct answer: Unfunded mandates
Unfunded mandates impose federal requirements on states without providing money to comply, a major source of state-federal tension.
Question 5: Which constitutional provision allows Congress to regulate commerce 'among the several states,' becoming a major source of expanded federal power?
- Necessary and Proper Clause
- Commerce Clause (Correct answer)
- General Welfare Clause
- Supremacy Clause
Correct answer: Commerce Clause
The Commerce Clause (Article I, Section 8) has been interpreted broadly to allow federal regulation of nearly all economic activity affecting interstate trade.
Question 6: The model of federalism that emerged during the New Deal era, emphasizing cooperation and joint programs between state and federal governments, is called:
- Dual federalism
- Marble-cake federalism (Correct answer)
- Competitive federalism
- Devolution
Correct answer: Marble-cake federalism
Cooperative (marble-cake) federalism blends federal and state responsibilities rather than keeping them in separate spheres.
Question 7: When state law and federal law conflict on the same subject matter, which law prevails under the Constitution?
- State law always prevails
- Federal law prevails under the Supremacy Clause (Correct answer)
- The law most recently passed prevails
- Courts decide case by case with no default rule
Correct answer: Federal law prevails under the Supremacy Clause
The Supremacy Clause (Article VI) makes federal law the 'supreme law of the land,' overriding conflicting state laws.
US Federal System 3
The Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution requires states to: