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Marbury vs. Madison 1 Cranch (5 U.S.) 137, 2 L.ED. 60 (1803) Case Digest
Marbury vs. Madison 1 Cranch (5 U.S.) 137, 2 L.ED. 60 (1803) Case Digest
60 (1803)
FACTS:
Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams in the presidential election of 1800. But
before Jefferson could take office, Adams and the Congress passed the Judiciary Act
of 1801, which created more positions in the Judiciary, which then allowed Adams to
appoint more of his supporters into said positions. These were called the “Midnight
Judges”.
One of these people was William Marbury who was supposed to be the Justice of the
Peace of the District of Columbia. Like many others of the Midnight Judges, his
appointment was approved by the Senate, but he cannot assume his position until his
commission was personally given by John Marshall, then Secretary of State.
When Jefferson took office, his Congress replaced the Judiciary Act of 1801 with the
Judiciary Act of 1802, which reverted the judiciary back to how it was in the Judiciary
Act of 1789. He also stopped his Secretary of State to stop giving commissions, so
Marbury never got his. Marbury then filed this petition for Mandamus to compel the
U.S. government to give his commission and start this appointment as judge.
ISSUE:
Whether or not Marbury had a right to his commission and can he compel the
government to deliver it to him?
RULING:
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it did not have the jurisdiction to issue the Writ of
Mandamus since the Judiciary Act of 1789, that supposedly gave the Court original
jurisdiction over cases like this was found to have conflicts with the U.S. Constitution.
The two laws gave different parameters for the Court’s original jurisdiction, but the
Court held that if there are conflicts between regular legislation and the constitution,
the constitution will always prevail.
The Court held that the constitution was supreme to all laws. It Is not merely a
foundation that the congress can use to base legislate, but instead all laws and all
judges take an oath to uphold it.