This book is a study of the power of the American Supreme Court to interpret laws and overrule any found in conflict with the Constitution. It examines the landmark case of Marbury versus Madison (1803), when that power of judicial review was first fully articulated.

Marbury v. Madison, decided in 1803, is the foundation stone of the American doctrine of judicial review. Remarkably, the case was decided without the parties having presented an oral argument to the Supreme Court. This book begins with a unique transcript of an oral argument in the case, conducted before a bench of four distinguished federal judges. The transcript is followed by essays on Marburys intellectual background, its significance in U.S. constitutional history, and the way in which we might think of constitutional theory and judicial review in terms sensitive to the historical and political contexts in which the practice persists. Distinguished commentators question some of the claims made in the essays, and offer their own perspectives on Marburys importance.

On the surface, the case itself seems a minor one at best. William Marbury, a last-minute judicial appointee of outgoing Federalist president John Adams, demanded redress from the Supreme Court when his commission was not delivered. But Chief Justice John Marshall could clearly see the danger his demand posed for a weak court filled with Federalist judges. Wary of the Court’s standing with the new Republican administration of Thomas Jefferson, Marshall hit upon a solution that was both principled and pragmatic. He determined that while Marbury was justified in his suit, the law on which his claim was based was in conflict with the Constitution. It was the first time that the Court struck down an act of Congress as unconstitutional, thus establishing the doctrine of judicial review that designates the Court as chief interpreter of the Constitution. Nelson relates the story behind Marbury and explains why it is a foundational case for understanding the Supreme Court. He reveals how Marshall deftly avoided a dangerous political confrontation between the executive and judicial branches by upholding the rule of law. Nelson also shows how Marshall managed to shore up the Court’s prestige and power rather than have it serve partisan political agendas. Nelson expands upon his original historical analysis by providing a more complete and nuanced account of eighteenth-century constitutionalism and the early development of judicial review. The new material includes chapters on nullification of legislation in local courts, James Otis’s articulation of the doctrine of judicial review in the Writs of Assistance Case, the use of this doctrine in response to the Stamp Act and Townshend Act, and the expansion of judicial review in the State Cases. This revised and expanded edition provides a fuller picture of colonial America and a richer understanding of Marshall’s foundational decision.

Today, the Supreme Court's authority to determine the constitutionality of executive actions and legislative acts is unquestioned. But two centuries ago, after our country was founded, the Court's power of judicial review was untested. In 1803, the landmark case of Marbury v. Madison established the Supreme Court as guardian of the Constitution. Professor Shane Mountjoy ably introduces the unlikely group involved: John Adams, the outgoing president, who filled the courts with members of his own party; Thomas Jefferson, the new president, who distrusted the courts; James Madison, loyal secretary of state, who refused to deliver a commission; William Marbury, the disappointed office-seeker; and John Marshall, the nationalistic chief justice who had been Adams' secretary of state. Together, they played a role in what is perhaps the most important case to come before the Court. Combining facts with human-interest stories of those involved, Marbury v Madison chronicles the proceedings of this groundbreaking case. Relevant, full-color photographs, a detailed chronology and timeline, and other features add interest and enable readers to grasp the impact of this historic decision.

Combines documents and analytical essays timed for the bicentennial in 2003. It explains the constitutional, political, philosophical background to judicial review, the historical record leading to this landmark case and the impact of the decision since 1803.