United States v. Lopez

United States v. Lopez (1995), in which a student challenged a new federal law prohibiting the possession of guns in and around schools, reflects a textbook examination of the power of Congress under the Commerce Clause. Lopez reflects the Supreme Court's analysis of congressional authority in the limited context of school safety. The congressional action in this case was passage of the Gun-Lree School Zones Act, part of the Crime Control Act of 1990. Congress used this legislation to address growing concerns about school violence, and the act was signed into law on November 29, 1990. The act provided that “it shall be unlawful for any individual knowingly to possess a firearm in a place that the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, ...