In the mid-1990s, this Supreme Court case redefined the boundaries of federal legislative power under the Commerce Clause. A high school student's conviction under the Gun-Free School Zones Act raised significant constitutional questions. Learn how the Supreme Court ruled that the Act exceeded the authority of the Congress under the Commerce Clause, which authorizes the Congress to regulate only interstate commerce. Understand how Chief Justice William Rehnquist's opinion emphasized that the Act did not sufficiently relate to economic activity that would justify federal regulation and how this affected the balance of power between federal and state governments along with its implications for future legislation.