U.S. v. Lopez decided what about the Commerce Clause?

• A. Expanded federal power under the Commerce Clause.
• B. Restricted federal power under the Commerce Clause by holding that possession of a gun in a school zone is not an economic activity that substantially affects interstate commerce.
• C. Upheld a broad interpretation of interstate commerce.
• D. Did not involve the Commerce Clause.

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how the Commerce Clause is applied to limit federal power. In United States v. Lopez, the Supreme Court held that Congress overstepped its Commerce Clause authority with the Gun-Free School Zones Act, because simply possessing a gun in a school zone is not an economic activity that substantially affects interstate commerce. The ruling shows that while Congress can regulate channels and instrumentalities of interstate commerce, or activities that are economic in nature with a substantial effect on commerce, it cannot regulate a non-economic, local activity like carrying a gun near a school unless there’s a clear interstate-commerce connection. This decision marked a restraint on federal power under the Commerce Clause, leaving such matters to state and local regulation unless a strong interstate link can be shown.