Constitutional Law — Core Concepts Practice Questions

A state enacted a law requiring all commercial truck drivers operating within its borders to take a mandatory 12-hour rest period for every 24 hours of driving. Federal regulations, issued by the Department of Transportation, mandated a 10-hour rest period for every 24 hours. A trucking company challenged the state law, arguing it was impossible to comply with both.

The President issued an executive order directing all federal agencies to cease purchasing any goods manufactured in a particular foreign country, citing concerns about that country's human rights record. Congress had previously passed legislation establishing a comprehensive framework for international trade and sanctions, which did not include a general prohibition on goods from this country and was silent on the President's ability to impose such a ban. A U.S. importer challenged the executive order.

Congress passed the "Local Farm Preservation Act," which prohibits the cultivation of a specific genetically modified crop, even for personal consumption, if the crop's genes could potentially contaminate other crops through cross-pollination. A farmer in an agricultural state, who grew the crop solely for his family's consumption and never sold any, challenged the Act, arguing that Congress lacked the power to regulate his purely intrastate, non-commercial activity.