Legal Concepts

National Supremacy

National supremacy is the idea that the federal constitution and law take precedence over state constitutions and law. The Supremacy Clause can be found in Article VI, Paragraph 2 of the U.S. Constitution.

Landmark Cases Involving National Supremacy:

A drawing of steamboats entering a harbor with people exiting the lower deck.

Gibbons v. Ogden

Federal Government has Power Over Interstate Commerce
A drawing of the U.S. Bank in Philidelphia with many people scattered across the foreground.

McCulloch v. Maryland

Congress has Implied Powers to Create a National Bank

Learn more about the Supremacy Clause in Wex, a free legal dictionary and encyclopedia from Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute.

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