Marbury v Madison: Judicial Review
When a federal judge strikes down a state abortion ban, blocks an immigration executive order, or declares a federal law unconstitutional, that judge wields a power that appears nowhere in the Constitution's text. The Supreme Court gave itself that power in Marbury v. Madison (1803), and Chief Justice John Marshall's reasoning in that case remains the foundation of American constitutional law. This is the most important Supreme Court decision in U.S. history—it established that courts, not Congress or the President, get the final say on what the Constitution means.
Marbury v Madison: Judicial Review
When a federal judge strikes down a state abortion ban, blocks an immigration executive order, or declares a federal law unconstitutional, that judge wields a power that appears nowhere in the Constitution's text. The Supreme Court gave itself that power in Marbury v. Madison (1803), and Chief Justice John Marshall's reasoning in that case remains the foundation of American constitutional law. This is the most important Supreme Court decision in U.S. history—it established that courts, not Congress or the President, get the final say on what the Constitution means.
Marbury v Madison: Judicial Review
When a federal judge strikes down a state abortion ban, blocks an immigration executive order, or declares a federal law unconstitutional, that judge wields a power that appears nowhere in the Constitution's text. The Supreme Court gave itself that power in Marbury v. Madison (1803), and Chief Justice John Marshall's reasoning in that case remains the foundation of American constitutional law. This is the most important Supreme Court decision in U.S. history—it established that courts, not Congress or the President, get the final say on what the Constitution means.