SOCIAL STUDIES: CIVIC UNIT 2 TEST
WHY WAS MARBURY VS. MADISON AN IMPORTANT SUPREME COURT CASE?
1. IT CREATED THE IDEA OF JUDICIAL REVIEW
2. IT CREATED EXECUTIVE POWERS
3. IT CREATED CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT
4. IT CREATED THE SUPREME COURT
ANSWER: 1. IT CREATED THE IDEA OF JUDICIAL REVIEW
The correct answer is option 1. Marbury v. Madison was an important Supreme Court case because it established the principle of judicial review. Judicial review grants the Supreme Court the power to interpret and declare laws unconstitutional. This landmark decision confirmed the Supreme Court's role as the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution and significantly impacted the balance of power between the branches of government in the United States.
The correct answer is 1. It created the idea of judicial review.
To understand why Marbury vs. Madison was an important Supreme Court case, it's essential to know the background. In 1800, during the final days of President John Adams' term, he appointed several individuals to serve as justices of peace in Washington, D.C. These appointments were known as "midnight appointments" as they were made late in his administration. However, some of these appointments did not have their commissions delivered by the time Thomas Jefferson assumed the presidency.
One of the appointees, William Marbury, sued Secretary of State James Madison, demanding that he deliver his commission. The case eventually reached the Supreme Court, under Chief Justice John Marshall.
In the Court's ruling, Chief Justice Marshall established the principle of judicial review, which is the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional. He stated that although Marbury had a right to his commission, the section of the Judiciary Act of 1789 that granted the Supreme Court original jurisdiction in these cases was unconstitutional because it extended the Court's jurisdiction beyond what was defined in the U.S. Constitution.
By asserting the power of judicial review, the Court established itself as the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution, able to declare acts of Congress and the Executive branch unconstitutional. This landmark decision significantly increased the power and influence of the Supreme Court and the judicial branch as a whole, ensuring checks and balances within the U.S. government.
So, the correct answer is 1. It created the idea of judicial review.