What is the "supremacy clause" in the Constitution? Sometimes it seems like federal officials think that the Constitution says, "This Constitution and the Laws of the United States...shall be the supreme Law of the Land."
Of course, if you remove a comma and one phrase that is what it would say.
However, that is not what it says. It says:
"This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof;... shall be the supreme Law of the Land;"
Article 6, clause 2
"...The Constitution lists the Union's jurisdiction. A legitimate Union law will become the supreme law of the land. All State officers--legislative, executive, and judicial--will be bound by an oath. Thus the State legislatures, courts, and executives will be part of the national government as far as its just and constitutional authority extends [emphasis in original] and will help enforce its laws. If the Union is administered prudently, the Union laws will be peacefully obeyed..." Federalist # 27 [6]
"...But this doctrine does not mean that acts of the larger society that are not among its constitutional powers, acts that invade the authority of smaller societies, will become the supreme law of the land. These will be acts of usurpation and deserve to be treated as such..." # 33 [7]
The full Federalist Paper discussion on Supreme Law of the Land is found in the United States Constitution: Annotated with The Federalist Papers in Modern English, 2010, p. 327-330