feb 24, 1803 - Marbury vs Madison
Description:
Marbury vs Madison was a key court case in American history because it established the principle of judicial review (the power of the federal courts to declare legislative and executive acts unconstitutional). Simply, John Adams appointed as many Federalist judges as possible the night before he left office. By Jefferson's inauguration, not all of the new judges had received their letters, and Jefferson, angry with Adams, forbad his Secretary of State (Madison) from delivering the rest of the letters. The case ended up going Jefferson's way, and established judicial review, which, though it wasn't written into the Constitution, is powerful and has never been challenged.
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