Question

How did the Marshall Court interpret the Constitution in its rulings?

It divided power equally between state and federal government.
It gave states more power over the federal government.
It gave the federal government more power over the states.
It ruled that all disputes would be handled in federal courts.

Answer 1

d. Extending congressional powers, limiting state powers (1819)

Step-by-step explanation:

On March 6, 1819, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress could establish a bank, and that States could not tax a federal bank, extending congressional powers, limiting state powers. The rule of the courts by Marshall ensured that the federal government retained relatively strong powers, despite the political dominance of the Jeffersonian after 1800.

Answer 2

It gave the federal government more power over the states.

Step-by-step explanation:

During the period that Chief Justice Marshall was at the US Supreme Court the power of the federal government rose visibly. He decided in the ruling McCulloch v. Maryland that the state of Maryland did not have the power to pass taxes on the National Bank because the US Congress had the power to create the National Bank. The same decision reinforced the Supremacy Clause.

Also, in another decision, Gibbons v. Ogden, the Court decided that the US Congress had the power to regulate interstate commerce, included navigation, which also reinforced the Supremacy Clause.