The impact of Wickard on the 10th Amendment and Reserved Powers

                                             Schecter & Carter Coal

Federal Power --------     ----------------------------------------------------------------------State Power (10A)
                                   10                                                                                                   90





                                                             Wickard
Federal Power ---------------------------------------------------------------------   ----------State Power (10A)
                                                                                                                99.5                  0.5


     
Notice how as Federal enumerated power increases, the reserved powers of the states shrink. Every time the Court allows the Commerce power of Congress to increase, the 10th Amendment is diminished accordingly. This is why I call it the Incredibly Shrinking Tenth Amendment. Madison wept. And I weep!   

     

The modern approach to the Commerce Clause has been stated by the Court (in Hodel v Indiana) as follows:

“A court may invalidate legislation enacted under the Commerce Clause only it if is clear that there is no rational basis for a congressional finding that the regulated activity affects interstate commerce...."