William Marbury was appointed to be the Justice of the Peace in the District of Columbia by outgoing President John Adams in 1801. The commission was never delivered, so Marbury sued the new Secretary of State, James Madison to compel him to deliver the commission. The case formed the basis for judicial review in the United States.
Marbury v. Madison, 5 US 137 (1803)
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William Marbury filed suit against Secretary of State James Madison because Madison refused to deliver the justice of the peace commission former President John Adams awarded Marbury under the Organic Act of 1801. Marbury and three other plaintiffs wanted the Court to issue a writ of mandamus (a court order compelling an official to take action) commanding Madison to deliver the commissions.
Madison was the appointed Secretary of State under President Jefferson, making him head of the office responsible for ensuring documents were sealed and delivered at the time the lawsuit was filed. Madison never had any personal involvement in the case; in fact, the Executive branch never appointed an attorney to argue on the federal government's behalf, and James Madison ignored Chief Justice Marshall's order to "show cause" (why a writ of mandamus should not be issued).
According to trial testimony, President Jefferson found the undelivered commissions before James Madison arrived in Washington to take office. Jefferson allegedly believed Adams had issued an excessive number of appointments, and discarded more than one-third of them (although this is never admitted). Marbury's paperwork was among that believed destroyed.
Case Citation:
Marbury v. Madison, 5 US 137 (1803)
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Marbury wanted the courts to force Madison to deliver his commission as a justice of the peace ( Aric Alston Answered this)
In Marbury v Madison, 5 US 137 (1803), William Marbury tried to get James Madison to deliver his commission. James Madison, who later became a US President, was Secretary of State under President Thomas Jefferson at the time.
In Marbury v. Madison, William Marbury was the plaintiff. He was a Federalist and a commission he was supposed to receive from President John Adams was withheld by Secretary of State James Madison. Marbury sued to recover his commission.
William Marbury and James Madison. They were fighting over whether or not Marbury and other federalists, appointed by John Adams, would receive their commissions.
James Madison held the post of Thomas Jefferson's Secretary of State. Holding the position between March 2 1801 and March 3 1809 James Madison was the 5th United States Secretary of State.
Thomas Jefferson appointed his good friend James Madison as secretary of state
James Madison was the President for whom Monroe served as Secretary of State. (He also served as Madison's Secretary of War for a year or so.)
James Madison was the President for whom Monroe served as Secretary of State. (He also served as Madison's Secretary of War for a year or so.)
William Marbury, William Harper, Robert R. Hooe, and Dennis Ramsay were the plaintiffs (actually petitioners); US Secretary of State James Madison was the nominal respondent.William Marbury petitioned the US Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus (a judicial order commanding an official take, or refrain from taking, an action within his scope of responsibility) against US Secretary of State James Madison because Madison refused to deliver the justice of the peace commission former President John Adams granted Marbury. Marbury was unable to assume office without the sealed commission.Chief Justice John Marshall presided over the trial. Marshall, coincidentally, had been Secretary of State under President Adams, and was responsible for delivering Marbury's commission. Unfortunately, the administration changed before he had an opportunity to complete the assignment, and he assumed James Madison would complete the task for him.When the new President, Thomas Jefferson, discovered how John Adams had attempted to install 58 new judges immediately before leaving office, he decided to thwart as many of the appointments as possible. Marbury was one of a handful of men whose commissions were side-lined in this way.Case Citation:Marbury v. Madison, 5 US 137 (1803)For more information on Marbury v. Madison, see Related Links, below.
"Madison" was James Madison, Secretary of State under President Thomas Jefferson, who was named as the respondent in the case because his office (really Jefferson) refused to deliver some justice of the peace commissions to people John Adams appointed before leaving office.The official citation of the case is Marbury v. Madison,5 US 137 (1803)For more information, see Related Questions, below.
James Monroe held both of these two positions for a year or so under President James Madison. He served as Secretary of State for all of Madison's administration.
Yes and no. The foundation for Marbury's complaint arose from a judicial appointment John Adams made shortly before leaving office. The complaint itself, as well as the Court ruling, occurred during Thomas Jefferson's administration, because he told Secretary of State James Madison to withhold 12 undelivered commissions from Adams' appointees. For more information about Marbury v. Madison, see Related Links, below.
William Marbury and his fellow plaintiffs wanted the Supreme Court to issue a writ of mandamus (a court order compelling an official to take action) to Secretary of State James Madison, commanding him to deliver the missing commissions so the plaintiffs could take office as justices of the peace.Case Citation:Marbury v. Madison, 5 US 137 (1803)