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Established the principle of judicial review — the power of federal courts to declare laws unconstitutional.
In the final days of John Adams' presidency, he appointed dozens of Federalist judges. William Marbury was one of these appointees.
When Thomas Jefferson took office, his Secretary of State, James Madison, refused to deliver Marbury's commission.
Does the Supreme Court have the authority to order the executive branch to deliver a judicial commission?
Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that Marbury had a right to his commission but that the Judiciary Act section giving the Court power to issue writs of mandamus was unconstitutional.
By ruling against his own party's interests, Marshall established judicial review.
Established the foundation of American constitutional law.
Every subsequent exercise of judicial review traces back to this precedent.
“It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is.”