McCulloch v. Maryland, , was a
landmark decision by the
Supreme Court of the United States. The state of
Maryland had attempted to impede operation of a branch of the
Second Bank of the United States by imposing a
tax on all
notes of banks not chartered in Maryland. Though the law, by its language, was generally applicable to all banks not chartered in Maryland, the Second Bank of the United States was the only out-of-state bank then existing in Maryland, and the law was recognized in the court's opinion as having specifically targeted the Bank of the United States. The Court invoked the
Necessary and Proper Clause of the
Constitution, which allowed the Federal government to pass laws not expressly provided for in the Constitution's list of express powers, provided those laws are in useful furtherance of the express powers of Congress under the Constitution.