Judicial-Power

Buchanan v. Warley: Supreme Court Strikes Down Racial Zoning, Property Rights Trump Civil Rights

| Importance: 7/10

The Supreme Court unanimously struck down a Louisville, Kentucky ordinance prohibiting Black residents from moving onto blocks where the majority of residents were white, and vice versa. While appearing to be a civil rights victory, the Court’s reasoning in Buchanan v. Warley rested entirely …

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McCulloch v. Maryland Establishes Federal Supremacy and Implied Powers, Protecting Second Bank from State Accountability

| Importance: 8/10

The U.S. Supreme Court decides McCulloch v. Maryland, with Chief Justice John Marshall authoring a landmark opinion establishing that Congress has implied powers under the Constitution’s “Necessary and Proper Clause” and that federal law is supreme over state law, preventing states …

Chief Justice John Marshall U.S. Supreme Court Second Bank of the United States State of Maryland James W. McCulloch judicial-power federal-supremacy implied-powers state-sovereignty institutional-protection
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Marbury v. Madison Establishes Judicial Review and Supreme Court Power Expansion

| 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
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