A law that violates the Constitution must be overturned
Judicial review
William Marbury was suing James Madison because Madison, as Secretary of State, failed to deliver Marbury's commission as a justice of the peace, which had been signed by President John Adams. Marbury sought a writ of mandamus from the Supreme Court to compel Madison to deliver the commission. This case, Marbury v. Madison, ultimately led to a landmark ruling that established the principle of judicial review, allowing the Supreme Court to invalidate laws that contradicted the Constitution.
less
The Marbury v. Madison ruling cemented the idea of checks and balances by establishing the idea of judicial review. This allowed for the Supreme Court to interpret and declare laws unconstitutional as they saw fit.
The Marbury v. Madison ruling cemented the idea of checks and balances by establishing the idea of judicial review. This allowed for the Supreme Court to interpret and declare laws unconstitutional as they saw fit.
The Marbury v. Madison ruling cemented the idea of checks and balances by establishing the idea of judicial review. This allowed for the Supreme Court to interpret and declare laws unconstitutional as they saw fit.
The precedence of declaring an act of Congress unconstitutional and subject to Judicial Review was set.
Marbury vs Madison
In the Marbury v. Madison case of 1803, the justices did not vote in the traditional sense, as Chief Justice John Marshall authored the majority opinion. The ruling found that while William Marbury had a right to his commission, the Supreme Court did not have the authority to issue a writ of mandamus under the Judiciary Act of 1789, which was deemed unconstitutional. This established the principle of judicial review, allowing the Court to invalidate laws that conflict with the Constitution.
The Court's decision in Marbury v. Madison, issued in 1803, established this principle by ruling a section of the Judiciary Act of 1789 unconstitutional
The ruling in Marbury v. Madison (1803) established the principle of judicial review, which allows the Supreme Court to declare laws and actions of Congress and the executive unconstitutional. The case arose when William Marbury petitioned the Court for a writ of mandamus to compel Secretary of State James Madison to deliver his commission as a justice of the peace. Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that while Marbury was entitled to his commission, the Court did not have the jurisdiction to issue the writ because the law granting it was itself unconstitutional. This landmark decision solidified the role of the judiciary as a co-equal branch of government with the power to check the other branches.