William Marbury

Marbury v. Madison Establishes Judicial Review and Supreme Court Power Expansion

1803-02-24 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 9/10

The U.S. Supreme Court issues its landmark decision in Marbury v. Madison, with Chief Justice John Marshall declaring for the first time that federal courts possess the power to strike down laws passed by Congress that violate the Constitution. Marshall writes that “A Law repugnant to the …

Chief Justice John Marshall William Marbury Secretary of State James Madison U.S. Supreme Court judicial-power constitutional-interpretation institutional-capture unelected-power judicial-supremacy

Midnight Judges Act Enables Lame-Duck Court Packing by Defeated Federalists

1801-02-13 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 8/10

President John Adams signs the Judiciary Act of 1801 less than three weeks before the end of his term and the Federalist majority in Congress, expanding the federal judiciary by creating sixteen new circuit court judgeships and reducing the Supreme Court from six to five justices. After losing the …

President John Adams Federalist Party U.S. Senate William Marbury judicial-capture court-packing lame-duck-power institutional-manipulation political-corruption