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Creation of Supreme Court
With the Judiciary Act of 1789, the Supreme court was created. The highest court was the Supreme Court, being the only court that was able to appeal. It was made of Associate Justices and one Chief Justice. Below it were three circuit courts designed to cover the areas of the original thirteen colonies and individual court districts for each of them. -
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John Jay
John Jay served as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1789-1795. He was originally from New York. He was at first appointed by George Washington after serving as president of the Continental Congress. When John Adams took office he offered Jay another term as Chief Justice, but because John had already become governor of New York, he declined. -
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John Marshall
John Marshall served as Chief Justice from 1801-1835. He was appointed by John Adams. He's known as one of the greatest, most famous Justices because of the work he did to ensure the Supreme Court would be the power with the final say concering the interpretation of the Constitution. -
Marbury v. Madison
Marbury v. Madison (William Marbury v. James Madison) was a case concerning the appointment of William Marbury as the justice of the for Washington D.C. He was appointed before John Adams left office, but it was never fully carried through. The Court ruled that Marbury was entitled to his position.
This was significant because it was the first time the Supreme Court really exercised its right to interpret the Constitution. It also developed the idea of checks and balances in federal government. -
Fletcher v. Peck
John Peck sold lands that had previously been voided by the state of Georgia (an earlier transaction gone bad due to the presence of bribery) to Robert Fletcher, a man who then sued Peck. -
Dartmouth College v. Woodward
The state of New Hampshire tried to change Dartmouth College, a privately funded school, into a state university. The college sued William H. Woodward because he was a supported of the change. The Supreme Court decided that the state's legislature could not interfere with private charters. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
In 1818 Maryland passed a tax on any bank that was not ran by their legislature. A few years earlier Congress established the Second Bank of the United States. in 1818, when James McCulloch refused to pay the tax in place by the state on the Second Back, he sued. The Court ruled that Maryland was at fault because their law challenged the laws of Congress and the Constitution. -
Gibbons v. Ogden
Aaron Ogden was granted a right to the operation of steamboats by the state of New York. He sued Thomas Gibbons for operating steamboats on the same waters. This case established that only Congress was granted the right to regulate insterstate commerce, and that New York was at fault for trying to override their powers. -
Worcester v. Georgia
Samuel Worcester filed a court case against the state of Georgia for improper treatment of the Cherokee indians and the forced removal of the tribe. The court ruled in favor of the Cherokee, but the state still removed them. As president, Jackson said it would be unlikely the state would obey the rulings, and he was right. -
Dred Scott vs Sanford
Dred Scott sued his owner for his freedom after moving to Illinois which was a free state. The decision of the court was that Scott was not legally a citizen, just porperty, and had no right to sue in a court. He was not granted his freedom
