Enumerated Powers

521 Words3 Pages

wer is distributed between the nation, state, and local governments evenly through a system called federalism. In the United States, both the national government and the state have a large measure of sovereignty. In addition to the expressed powers of the government, the “necessary and proper” clause provided an avenue for expansion into the realm of “implied powers.” Federalism is involved with complicated relationships among the many states. The “full faith and credit clause” makes the states honor the public acts and judicial decisions of other states, and the “privileges and immunities clause” states that states cannot discriminate against someone from another state. Federalism also has some limitations on state authority, particularly involving relationships between state governments. Local governments are used by states in conducting the activities of government. …show more content…

Constitution grants Congress certain enumerated powers. These powers cover a wide range of subjects. All remaining powers belong to the states. However, the division of state and federal power is not as definitive as it might appear.The powers of Congress are augmented by the recognition that it possesses implied powers in addition to enumerated powers. Implied powers are not specifically mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, but are derived from the necessary and proper clause of Article I, Section 8. The Supreme Court has long recognized the existence of implied powers. This now extends to an array of activities unimagined by the Framers of the Constitution and outside the scope of what most people originally considered interstate commerce. A broad interpretation of Article I’s ambiguous language, combined with the necessary and proper clause, has made the enumerated powers a springboard for increased federal authority over state and local