Marbury v. madison (1803)
in 1803, the new united states govern-
ment under the constitution was still develop-
ing. the constitution clearly divided power
among legislative, executive, and judicial
branches. it was not so clear, however, what
would be the role of the judicial branch. one
of its powers was to "check and balance" the
power of the executive and legislative
branches. in other words, it would decide
court cases in which the other two branches
were accused of violating the constitution.
the case of marbury v. madison to
clarify the supreme court's role and power.
in the last days of john adam's presi-
dency, william marbury was appointed
justice of the peace in the district of colum-
bia. several others were also appointed to
government positions. since these last
minute appointments were never finalized,
thomas jefferson refused to recognize them.
marbury disagreed and went to court to get
his job. he argued that the judiciary act, a
law passed by congress, provided a way for
the supreme court to get him his job.
john marshall, the chief justice of the
supreme court, realized that this act gave
powers to the supreme court that were not
part of the constitution. marshall's decision
would show what happens when a law passed
by congress conflicts with the constitution.
marshall ruled that the constitution was
the highest law of the land. if a law conflicts
with the constitution it is not valid, since the
constitution is the highest law. the supreme
court accomplished what it was supposed to
do. it used its power of judicial review to
examine the actions of the executive branch,
in this case, president jefferson. this case
proved to everyone that the supreme court
has the final say in interpreting the constitu-
tion. this case define the role of the
supreme court in the american political
system.