Preview

Marbury v. Madison: It's Role in American History and It's Long-Term and Short-Term Ramifications

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
762 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Marbury v. Madison: It's Role in American History and It's Long-Term and Short-Term Ramifications
The case of Marbury v. Madison (1803) has been described as "epochal", and for good reason. The case of Marbury v. Madison established the Supreme Court's power of judicial review. Judicial review is the ability of the Supreme Court to "review a law or an official act of government employee or agent for constitutionality or for the violation of basic principles of justice." This case directly shaped the future of the American public in a positive way: by making decisions that are lawfully correct and in the best interest of the public. This also had some short-term and long-term ramifications, including the decision that declared the legality of the Louisiana Purchase, the single act that doubled the size of the United States and laid the foundation for a future superpower.

The most significant short-term effect of the decision made in Marbury v. Madison was the fact that it greatly magnified the court's authority and opinion, though it can be debated that this is also a long-term effect. Another short-term effect is the fact that the decision was a major slap at the Jeffersonians, who were very thirsty to prevent such a thing and to remove any traces of a Federalist influence in court, despite the fact that Jefferson flip-flopped on his political views several times later on. As a result of that, the Jeffersonians attempted to impeach Samuel Chase, a Federalist judge serving on the Supreme Court, because he spoke out against the Republicans. Though he was found not guilty of the charges brought against him (high crimes and misdemeanors), he became deeply unpopular and scorned by the public. The short-term effects of the decision in Madison v. Marbury were certainly important, the long-term effects certainly outweigh them.

Another significant effect of the decision in the Marbury v. Madison case was the decision that confirmed the legality of the Louisiana Purchase of America from France in 1803. The Louisiana Purchase was the act that doubled the size of the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Marbury Vs. Madison case is important because it was the first United States Supreme Court case to apply the judicial review principle. This case was between a man named William Marbury and James Madison, when James Madison refused to deliver Marbury's commission, Marbury made a petition, which would bring forth delivery of the commissions. Marbury’s petition was denied and proven not…

    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The modern civil rights movement has been affected by three very important Supreme Court cases. The first infamous case was the Dred Scott v. Sanford decision which dreadfully took away the rights of African Americans. Then the case of Plessy v. Ferguson was held in 1896 which had a major impact on the civil rights movement. This case decided that African Americans were “separate but equal”. Then finally the last infamous case was the Board v. the Board of Education which overruled the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. These cases made a huge dent on the civil rights movement and the equality laws we have instilled today.…

    • 1025 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    5. Marbury v. Madison: In this 1803 case, Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that the Judiciary Act of 1789 was unconstitutional because Congress had overstepped its bounds in granting the Supreme Court the power to issue a writ of mandamus (an ultimatum from the court) to any officer of the United States. This ruling established the principle of judicial review. Marbury's pay was cut.…

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Marbury v. Madison

    • 1386 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Marbury v. Madison was the landmark decision assisted define the "checks and balances" of the American political system. It was the first time in the history of U.S Supreme…

    • 1386 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    1. John Marshall means in his statement that the constitution does not allow the judiciary branch to rule in such a way that Marbury would like. Although Marbury did lose his job, the context in which he earned his job was unconstitutional. Marshall's statement is referring to the inability of the judiciary branch to compensate Marbury for a job which was given in an unconstitutional way.…

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    His most significant early case was the famous Marbury v. Madison in 1803, which established the right of the court to declare the actions of local, state or federal governments invalid if they violate the Constitution. This process of declaring actions void was called Judicial Review and it made the Court equally as powerful as the legislative and executive branches of government.…

    • 571 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marbury v Madison enacted the principle of Judicial Review, which is the power of federal courts to void acts of Congress in conflict with the Constitution (“Marbury v Madison”). Brown v School Board of Education overturned the provisions of Plessy v Ferguson by ruling segregation as unconstitutional. Tinker v Des Moines established students right to public speech (“Landmark Cases”). Supreme Court interpretation, allows the original text of the Constitution to be mended in order to accommodate to the time…

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marbury v Madison 1803 will forever and always be a Supreme Court Case that will live infamously in today’s history. During the election of 1800 against incumbent president John Adams of the Federalist Party versus the Anti-Federalist Party nominee Thomas Jefferson, with Jefferson being the victor. Before Adams were to leave the presidential office, he made what is called “midnight appointments” of new judgeships to counter act the Jeffersonians once in office. John Marshall, who was secretary of state of the time, failed to deliver seventeen commissions, one of which belonged to William Marbury. James Madison, Marshall’s successor, failed to deliver the rest of the appointments at the request of Thomas Jefferson.…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Strengthening the national government meant expanding the authority of the Supreme Court and also expanding the power of Congress. Marshall did this in three main court cases with the first one taking place in 1803. It was the case of Marbury v. Madison. Judicial review was established in this case when the Judiciary Act of 1801 was considered unconstitutional. In the case of McCulloch v. Maryland, Maryland tries to get rid of the Bank of the U.S. which would weaken the central government. Marshall says that Hamilton’s use of implied powers was constitutional and that “the power to create implies the power to preserve.” The case of Cohens v. Virginia strengthened the national government by expanding the power of Congress. It did so when Cohen was accused of selling lottery tickets without the states permission. The state ruled it against the law, but Marshall overturned it saying it was necessary and proper which shows that the Federal government overrules the state government.…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Revolution of 1800

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Judicially, there was a change in regards to the Marbury vs Madison case, and judicial review that developed because of it. During the case of Marbury vs Madison…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marbury V. Madison

    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages

    As the government was newly establishing its stronghold on the nation a struggle to preserve the foundations of American society instituted by Washington and John Adams existed as Thomas Jefferson took office. In an attempt to maintain the "edifice of the National Government" believing Jefferson would topple the prestigious nation with his atheist views, Adams appointed various Federalists to the judiciary. Thus, attributing to the single most significant case of the Supreme Court, Marbury v. Madison, a struggle between Republicans and Federalists that would end in a future altered by fate. This controversial landmark case established the constitution as "Supreme law" of the United States and developed the power of the Supreme Court, enhancing its independence and proving it a nonpartisan instrument. It established the precedent for the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of laws, through the principle of judicial review. The development of this power to interpret the constitution instituted the flexibility of the constitution and the ability to forge a road of precedent unfamiliar to the new government, as well as firmly grounding the role of the Judicial Branch.…

    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The decisions made by Supreme Court chief justice John Marshall have had a major influence on today's Judiciary System. One of his major decisions was in the case Marbury v. Madison, in which he set the precedent of judicial review. Another major decision is in the case McCulloch v. Maryland, in this case Marshall ruled that Congress possesses certain implied powers. Other major decisions made by Marshall were in the cases Dartmouth College v. Woodward, Gibbons v. Ogden, in which Marshall defined national power over interstate commerce, and Cherokee Nation v. State of Georgia.…

    • 1488 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marbury v. Madison was the first time the Supreme Court declared something "unconstitutional," and established the concept of judicial review in the U.S. The landmark decision helped define the "checks and balances" of the American form of government. It certainly strengthened the power of the Supreme Court and the judicial branch by giving them the power of judicial review, which allows the Supreme Court to decide what is and isn't constitutional.…

    • 513 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Supreme Court Decisions

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Decisions of the United States Supreme Court have had a significant impact on the nation. Multiple cases that have been brought upon the Supreme Court have huge impacts on the nation. A lot of these cases have had such an impact on American society that they’ve left a permanent mark. Marbury v. Madison, a Supreme Court case in 1803 that is considered one of the first major cases is very important to the way our government is structured. Also Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 played an important role in history.…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    in 1954, the Supreme Court stated that racially segregated schools were a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. in 1966, the Supreme Court stated that a person must be informed of his/her right to remain silent when arrested and that they have access to a lawyer if required. in 1966, the Supreme Court stated that one person should have one vote when dealing with the apportionment of electoral districts. These are clear examples where it can easily be argued that the supreme courts role in protecting the rights and liberties of US citizens was major.…

    • 583 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays