Federalist No. 78

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Federalist No. 78 is an essay by Alexander Hamilton that argues for the independence and lifetime tenure of the federal judiciary as essential to the U.S. Constitution.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Federalist Paper
political essay
addressesConcern concern about lifetime appointments
fear of judicial overreach
alsoKnownAs Federalist Paper 78
arguesFor independence of the federal judiciary
judicial review of legislative acts
lifetime tenure during good behavior for federal judges
protection of individual rights through an independent judiciary
protection of the Constitution against legislative encroachments
author Alexander Hamilton
characterizesJudiciaryAs least dangerous branch
citedBy U.S. Supreme Court opinions
claimsJudiciaryHas judgment but not force or will
claimsJudiciaryLacks control over the purse
control over the sword
countryOfOrigin United States of America
discusses appointment of judges
permanency in office
role of courts in safeguarding the Constitution
firstPublicationMedium New York newspaper
focusesOn limitations of the judiciary
powers of the judiciary
structure of the judiciary
genre political theory
historicalContext debate over ratification of the U.S. Constitution
influenced development of the doctrine of judicial review in the United States
interpretation of Article III of the U.S. Constitution
intendedAudience voters of New York
language English
mainTopic U.S. Constitution Article III
federal judiciary
judicial independence
judicial review
separation of powers
tenure of federal judges
partOf The Federalist Papers
placeOfPublication New York
publicationDate 1788
purpose to support ratification of the U.S. Constitution
relatedWork Federalist No. 79
Federalist No. 80
Federalist No. 81
seriesNumber 78
supportsPrinciple Constitution is superior to ordinary legislation
courts must declare void laws contrary to the Constitution
good behavior tenure promotes judicial independence
judges should be insulated from political pressures

Referenced by (4)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Federalist No. 78 ("Federalist Paper 78")
alsoKnownAs
The Federalist Papers
hasPart
Federalists ("The Federalist No. 78")
keyText
Publius ("The Federalist No. 78")
notableWork

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