Marbury v. Madison
E657
Marbury v. Madison is the landmark 1803 U.S. Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review, empowering federal courts to strike down laws that violate the Constitution.
Aliases (2)
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States Supreme Court case
→
constitutional law case → judicial review case → landmark case → |
| branchChecked |
executive branch
→
legislative branch → |
| chiefJustice |
John Marshall
→
|
| citation |
1 Cranch 137
→
5 U.S. 137 → |
| constitutionalProvisionInterpreted |
Article III of the United States Constitution
→
Supremacy Clause → |
| country |
United States
→
|
| court |
Supreme Court of the United States
→
|
| decisionDate |
1803-02-24
→
|
| defendant |
James Madison
→
|
| defendantOffice |
United States Secretary of State
→
|
| field |
United States constitutional law
→
federal courts and jurisdiction → |
| fullName |
Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803)
→
|
| historicalContext |
conflict between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans
→
early years of the Jefferson administration → |
| holding |
A writ of mandamus was the appropriate remedy for Marbury, but the Supreme Court lacked jurisdiction to issue it in this case.
→
Section 13 of the Judiciary Act of 1789, to the extent it purported to expand the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction, was unconstitutional. → The Supreme Court has the authority to review acts of Congress and determine whether they are unconstitutional. → William Marbury had a right to his commission as justice of the peace. → |
| impact |
established the Supreme Court as a coequal branch of government with power to invalidate unconstitutional laws
→
|
| issue |
power of federal courts to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional
→
scope of the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction under Article III of the U.S. Constitution → validity of undelivered judicial commissions signed by an outgoing president → |
| jurisdictionType |
original jurisdiction (sought)
→
|
| languageOfOpinion |
English
→
|
| legalSystem |
common law
→
|
| locationOfCourt |
Washington, D.C.
→
|
| opinionBy |
John Marshall
→
|
| outgoingPresidentInvolved |
John Adams
→
|
| plaintiff |
William Marbury
→
|
| presidentInvolved |
Thomas Jefferson
→
|
| principleEstablished |
it is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is
→
judicial review → the Constitution is superior to ordinary legislation → |
| remedySought |
writ of mandamus
→
|
| sectionInterpreted |
Section 13 of the Judiciary Act of 1789
→
|
| statuteInterpreted |
Judiciary Act of 1789
→
|
| taughtIn |
law school constitutional law courses
→
|
| topic |
checks and balances
→
federal courts → separation of powers → |
| unanimousDecision |
true
→
|
| yearDecided |
1803
→
|
Referenced by (14)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Marbury v. Madison
("Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803)")
→
|
fullName |
|
Marshall Court era
→
|
hasKeyDecision |
|
Early Republic of the United States
→
|
hasPart |
|
Marbury v. Madison
("William Marbury had a right to his commission as justice of the peace.")
→
|
holding |
|
Article III of the United States Constitution
→
|
interpretedIn |
|
John Marshall Court
→
|
landmarkCase |
|
William Marbury
→
|
legalCase |
|
Presidency of Thomas Jefferson
→
|
majorEvent |
|
Supreme Court of the United States
→
|
notableCase |
|
William Marbury
→
|
notableEvent |
|
John Marshall
→
|
notableWork |
|
Judiciary Act of 1789
→
|
partlyInvalidatedByCase |
|
Hylton v. United States
→
|
relatedCase |
|
Judiciary Act of 1789
→
|
section13HeldUnconstitutionalIn |