Judicial Power and Laws of US

                The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from Article III, Section 2, Clause 1:  “The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under … the Laws of the United States….”  Because this clause is in the Constitution, Americans have the right to appeal to the federal courts whenever there is a question about the interpretation or enforcement of any of the laws of the United States.

                “In many cases there are crimes or other situations where the federal government and the state have joint jurisdiction.  These cases frequently have to be referred to the federal courts to determine whether the defendant comes under a law of the United States.  If so, the federal courts have jurisdiction.”  (See W. Cleon Skousen in The Making of America – The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, p. 596.)