Briefly describe the supremacy clause and the commerce clause. ...

[arivle123]

Briefly describe the supremacy clause and the commerce clause.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

As racial and ethnic minority groups become majorities in more states, what might happen to political divisions in those states and what might the effects of this trend be on public policies?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[beccamahon]

Answer to Question 1

An ideal response would be:
Contained in Article VI of the Constitution, the supremacy clause gives national laws the absolute power even when states have enacted a competing law.
The Commerce clause in the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 1) gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations.

Answer to Question 2

An ideal response would be:
As our nation has become more diverse, most U.S. citizens have learned to appreciate the strength that comes from multiple cultures and races, and many of our businesses have come to rely on immigrant labor, both legal and illegal. However, in many communities where foreign-born residents have settled in large numbers, longtime residents have resented the changing racial, linguistic, and ethnic composition of their communities and have pushed state and local officials to stem or even reverse the growth of immigrants. New immigration laws passed in Arizona in 2010 reignited a national debate on how all levels of government might address this problem. In June, 2012 the United States Supreme Court ruled much of the Arizona immigration law unconstitutional, although the court did allow Arizona law enforcement officers to continue to check the immigration status of those who were stopped for other offenses.