What constitutional limits exist on state government power?

What constitutional limits exist on state government power?

• A. The Constitution provides no limits
• B. The Constitution protects individual rights, prescribes procedures for elections and taxation, and restricts powers through checks and balances
• C. The Constitution only limits the governor
• D. The Constitution requires the General Assembly to obey federal orders

Answer: (B)

Constitutional limits on state government power are built into the state constitution through three main safeguards: protection of individual rights, rules governing elections and taxation, and a system of checks and balances among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Protecting individual rights means the state cannot act in ways that infringe fundamental liberties without due process. Clear procedures for elections and taxation ensure that how power is exercised—who holds office, how representation works, and how money is raised—follows established rules rather than arbitrary will. Checks and balances prevent any one branch from dominating by requiring oversight, dispute resolution, and inter-branch constraints. That combination is why this option is the best: it recognizes these three strands of constraint. The other statements don’t fit because power isn’t unlimited, it isn’t confined only to limiting the governor, and while federal law governs many matters, the Constitution’s description of limits isn’t merely about listening to federal orders; it encompasses the full structure of state guardrails alongside federal supremacy.

Constitutional limits on state government power are built into the state constitution through three main safeguards: protection of individual rights, rules governing elections and taxation, and a system of checks and balances among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Protecting individual rights means the state cannot act in ways that infringe fundamental liberties without due process. Clear procedures for elections and taxation ensure that how power is exercised—who holds office, how representation works, and how money is raised—follows established rules rather than arbitrary will. Checks and balances prevent any one branch from dominating by requiring oversight, dispute resolution, and inter-branch constraints.

That combination is why this option is the best: it recognizes these three strands of constraint. The other statements don’t fit because power isn’t unlimited, it isn’t confined only to limiting the governor, and while federal law governs many matters, the Constitution’s description of limits isn’t merely about listening to federal orders; it encompasses the full structure of state guardrails alongside federal supremacy.