Under the Commerce Clause, which statement best describes the ruling in Gibbons v. Ogden regarding federal power?

• A. The Commerce Clause gives Congress power to regulate only goods crossing state lines
• B. The Commerce Clause regulates only trade between states and foreign nations
• C. The Commerce Clause primarily limits states from regulating interstate commerce
• D. The Commerce Clause permits Congress to regulate interstate commerce, including navigation, broadly

Answer: (D)

The main concept being tested is how the Commerce Clause was interpreted to grant Congress broad power over interstate commerce, including navigation. In Gibbons v. Ogden, the Supreme Court held that Congress has authority to regulate interstate commerce in a wide sense, and this includes the regulation of navigation between states. The decision struck down a state-granted monopoly because it interfered with federal power to regulate interstate navigation, establishing that federal authority overrides conflicting state regulation in this area. This broadened view means Congress can regulate not just the movement of goods across state lines, but the entire channels of interstate economic activity that affect commerce.

That’s why the option describing Congress’s power as broad enough to regulate interstate commerce, including navigation, best captures the ruling. Other options narrow the scope—focusing only on goods, only on trade with foreign nations, or suggesting the power primarily limits states—whereas Gibbons v. Ogden emphasizes the expansive reach of federal regulation over interstate commerce, including navigation.