Summarize the case of Marbury v. Madison. What legal principle did the case establish, and what did the U.S. Supreme Court have the authority to do?
Marbury v. Madison was a landmark Supreme Court case in 1803 that established the principle of judicial review in the United States. The case arose when William Marbury, a Federalist and a supporter of outgoing U.S. President John Adams, was not appointed to a government position that had been promised to him by Adams. Marbury sued Secretary of State James Madison in an attempt to have the Supreme Court order Madison to deliver his commission.
Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that Marbury did have a right to his commission, but that the law Congress had passed allowing Marbury to bring his claim directly to the Supreme Court was unconstitutional. In the ruling, Marshall established the principle of judicial review, which gives the Supreme Court the authority to declare a law passed by Congress or a state legislature unconstitutional if it violates the Constitution. This ruling established the foundation for the power of the Supreme Court in interpreting and enforcing the Constitution of the United States.