Mini-Assignment #8
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Nov 24, 2024
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Donna Ortiz
Mini-Assignment #8: Supreme Court Case Brief on Marbury v. Madison
Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137 (1803)
Facts
The court Act of 1801, passed by Congress and the outgoing president John Adams to
strengthen the federalist influence in the court, was enacted in 1801, during the transition from
the Adams administration to the Jefferson administration. The Act gave the President the
authority to nominate additional judges and increased the number of federal judgeships. One of
the individuals appointed as a Justice of the Peace for the District of Columbia was William
Marbury. James Madison, the new secretary of state, failed to deliver Marbury's commission,
which prompted Marbury to ask the Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus to force the delivery
of the commission.
Legal Question(s)
Had the plaintiffs a legitimate claim to the commissions they were due? Could they file a
lawsuit to have their legal rights enforced? Did the Supreme Court have the power to compel that
their commissions be delivered?
Arguments
Marbury claimed that his commission was legitimately enforceable and binding, making
him qualified for the job. Madison argued that because the Judiciary Act of 1789 increased the
Supreme Court's original jurisdiction beyond what was specified in Article III of the
Constitution, it was unconstitutional and was the means by which Marbury was seeking to
submit his claim.
Decision
2
The Court agreed with Chief Justice Marshall's ruling, which was unanimously adopted,
that Marbury was entitled to his commission but that the Court was unable to give it. Because it
violated Article III Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, Marshall argued that Section 13 of the
Judiciary Act of 1789 was unconstitutional. The Court did not issue a writ of mandamus even
though it found Madison's unwillingness to grant the commission unlawful. The Judiciary Act of
1789's clause permitting Marbury to appeal to the Supreme Court, according to Marshall, was
illegal because it attempted to go beyond the Court's essential constitutional authority.
Impact and Significance
A pivotal case in the development of American law is Marbury v. Madison, which
granted the Supreme Court the authority to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional and
introduced the concept of judicial review. This decision underlined the judiciary's critical role in
the government's system of checks and balances between the legislative and executive branches.
The interaction between the three parts of the American government has been forever changed by
this precedent-setting constitutional law case.
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