How did the Supreme Court interpret the word 'necessary' in the Necessary and Proper Clause?
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Correct answer: As meaning useful or appropriate, not indispensable
The Court interpreted 'necessary' broadly to mean convenient, useful, or appropriate for carrying out federal powers. It did not require that a measure be absolutely essential.
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More McCulloch v. Maryland questions
- Which famous phrase from McCulloch v. Maryland expresses the idea that Congress has flexibility in choosing means to carry out its powers?
- What are implied powers in the context of McCulloch v. Maryland?
- What did the Supreme Court decide about Maryland's tax on the national bank?
- Which constitutional principle did the Court use to reject Maryland's tax on the national bank?
- What did Chief Justice Marshall mean by the phrase 'the power to tax involves the power to destroy'?
- How did McCulloch v. Maryland affect the balance of power between the federal government and the states?