Which midnight judge President Adams appointed in 1801 sued James Madison for his commission?

Answer 1

Four plaintiffs petitioned the US Supreme Court in Marbury v. Madison: William Marbury, Dennis Ramsay, Robert Townsend Hooe, and William Harper. The man whose name is most associated with the case was William Marbury.

Explanation

Federalist President John Adams nominated 42 justices of the peace in the final days of his presidency, thanks to Congress' last-minute passage of the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, legislation that removed Washington, DC, from Maryland and Virginia jurisdiction and placed control in the hands of Congress.

When Thomas Jefferson became President on March 4, 1801, he discovered the 42 commissions sitting on a desk in the former Secretary of State's office (John Marshall, who became Chief Justice of the United States was the former Secretary of State). Jefferson decided to reduce the number of commissions by 12, then nominated members of his Democratic-Republican party to fill five of the remaining 30 positions. William Marbury was one of the 17 justices of the peace whose commission was destroyed.

Marbury petitioned the US Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus (a court order compelling an official to take - or refrain from taking - a legally required action) forcing the new Secretary of State, James Madison, to deliver Marbury's commission allowing him to take office.

There were three lesser-known plaintiffs who joined Marbury's suit: Dennis Ramsay, Robert Townsend Hooe, and William Harper, who, like Marbury, were prominent citizens of Alexandria whose commissions had been denied.

The plaintiffs never got their commissions. Chief Justice John Marshall, who delivered the unanimous opinion of the Court, ruled that the men were legally entitled to their positions, but that the Supreme Court lacked jurisdiction over the case. In order to pursue the appointments, the four men would have to refile their case in a lower court. None of them pursued this remedy.

Case Citation:

Marbury v. Madison, 5 US 137 (1803)