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15 canonical passages across 8 cases, quoted by 325 opinions in total. These passages cluster together because the same opinions keep quoting them side by side: they state parts of one doctrine. The anchor passage is from M'culloch v. State of Maryland.
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M'culloch v. State of Maryland Anchor | green | “let the end be legitimate, let it be within the scope of the constitution, and all means which are appropriate, which are plainly adapted to that end, which are not prohibited, but consist with the letter and spirit of the constitution, are constitutional.” | 67 |
| 2 | United States v. Morrison | green | “due respect for the decisions of a coordinate branch of government demands that we invalidate a congressional enactment only upon a plain showing that congress has exceeded its constitutional bounds.” | 49 |
| 3 | United States v. Lopez | green | “the instrumentalities of interstate commerce, or persons or things in interstate commerce, even though the threat may come only from intrastate activities” | 42 |
| 4 | United States v. Lopez | green | “an essential part of a larger regulation of economic activity, in which the regulatory scheme could be undercut unless the intrastate activity were regulated.” | 39 |
| 5 | United States v. Lopez | green | “where economic activity substantially affects interstate commerce, legislation regulating that activity will be sustained.” | 28 |
| 6 | United States v. Morrison | green | “gender-motivated crimes of violence are not, in any sense of the phrase, economic activity.” | 21 |
| 7 | Gibbons v. Ogden | green | “is complete in itself, may be exercised to its utmost extent, and acknowledges no limitations, other than are prescribed in the constitution.” | 13 |
| 8 | Wickard v. Filburn | green | “even if appellee's activity be local and though it may not be regarded as commerce, it may still, whatever its nature, be reached by congress if it exerts a substantial economic effect on interstate commerce.” | 11 |
| 9 | Wickard v. Filburn | green | “that appellee's own contribution to the demand for wheat may be trivial by itself is not enough to remove him from the scope of federal regulation where, as here, his contribution, taken together with that of many others similarly situated, is far from trivial.” | 11 |
| 10 | National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. | green | “although activities may be intrastate in character when separately considered, if they have such a close and substantial relation to interstate commerce that their control is essential or appropriate to protect that commerce from burdens and obstructions, congress cannot be deni…” | 10 |
| 11 | United States v. Comstock | green | “in determining whether the necessary and proper clause grants congress the legislative authority to enact a particular federal statute, we look to see whether the statute constitutes a means that is rationally related to the implementation of a constitutionally enumerated power.” | 10 |
| 12 | United States v. Comstock | green | “the necessary and proper clause makes clear that the constitution's grants of specific federal legislative authority are accompanied by broad power to enact laws that are 'convenient, or useful' or 'conducive' to the authority's 'beneficial exercise.” | 9 |
| 13 | United States v. Comstock | green | “grants congress broad authority to enact federal legislation.” | 7 |
| 14 | Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States | green | “the power of congress to promote interstate commerce also includes the power to regulate the local incidents thereof, including local activities in both the states of origin and destination, which might have a substantial and harmful effect upon that commerce.” | 3 |
A red or yellow flag on a member means the underlying case has negative treatment: for those, check the case page before relying on the passage.