Government and politics concepts · AP U.S. Government and Politics, AP U.S. History
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Marbury v. Madison (1803): The Supreme Court case that established the power of judicial review over acts of Congress.
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What it means
William Marbury sued for a judicial commission that Secretary of State James Madison refused to deliver. Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that Marbury was entitled to the commission, but that the part of the Judiciary Act of 1789 giving the Court power to order its delivery was unconstitutional, so the Court could not grant the remedy.
By declining a small power, the Court claimed a much larger one: the authority to strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution.
Example
Marbury is cited whenever a federal court rules that an act of Congress exceeds constitutional limits.
On the exam
Marbury v. Madison is a required Supreme Court case in AP Gov.