Question

In McCulloch v. Maryland, why did the state of Maryland bring suit against a U.S. branch bank in Baltimore?

Answer 1

This branch bank refused to pay certain taxes levied against the bank.

Step-by-step explanation:

Due to the inflation following the War of 1812, Congress established a new national bank. The Second Bank was authorized to help control unregulated issuance of currency by state banks. In Maryland, a tax was imposed on all banks that weren't chartered by the state. Maryland brought suit against a branch bank in Baltimore that refused to pay these taxes.

Answer 2

When the Baltimore branch of the Second National Bank refused to pay the taxes, the state of Maryland filed a suit against James W. McCulloch, the bank’s cashier. In the lawsuit that followed, he argued that the tax was unconstitutional. Maryland’s highest court ruled that the tax was valid, and McCulloch appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The issues before the justices were whether Congress had the power to establish a bank and whether the Maryland tax law violated the U.S. Constitution.