When did the Marbury v Madison election start?

Answer 1

Marbury v. Madison, 5 US 137 (1803)

William Marbury took his case directly to the Supreme Court of the United States. Chief Justice Marshall ruled that the Supreme Court only had appellate jurisdiction over the case, and that Marbury would have to first file his complaint in a District Court, then appeal, if necessary.

Marbury never appealed his case, most likely because the purpose of filing suit with the Supreme Court was to embarrass President Jefferson, not to secure his justice of the peace commission.


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Answer 2

Attorney Charles Lee filed a petition for a writ of mandamus on behalf of William Marbury, Dennis Ramsay, William Harper, and Robert Hooey on December 16, 1801.

Explanation

President John Adams granted Marbury a five-year commission as justice of the peace for Washington, DC, on March 3, 1801. The incoming President, Thomas Jefferson, refused to deliver the commission allowing Marbury to take office, so Marbury filed a complaint with the Supreme Court in December of 1801.

Meanwhile, Congress repealed the Judiciary Act of 1801. Marbury's case was on the Supreme Court docket for June 1802, but the replacement legislation, the Judiciary Act of 1802, canceled all Supreme Court sittings for the year. Marbury's case was finally heard and decided in February 1803.

Case Citation:

Marbury v. Madison, 5 US 137 (1803)

For more information, see Related Questions, below.

Answer 3

There was no "Marbury v. Madison" election. The US Presidential election in which Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams occurred in 1800, but the result of the election was so close, Congress was unable to certify the winner until early February 1801. President Jefferson took office on March 4, 1801.

William Marbury and forty-one other Federalist party members received commissions to five-year appointments as justices of the peace in the Washington, DC area in a flurry of last-minute activity that began in the last few days of February 1801 and ended late in the evening of March 3, 1801, when former Secretary of State (and Supreme Court Chief Justice) John Marshall finished sealing and recording the signed documents.

The trouble began around March 4, 1801 or a few days thereafter when the new President, Thomas Jefferson, discovered the commissions remained undelivered and decided to (we assume) discard some of them.

Case Citation:

Marbury v. Madison, 5 US 137 (1803)