-
John Jay
John Jay was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He was appointed by George Washingotn on September 24, 1789. John Jay is significant in the Supreme Court Milestone because he was the first Chief Justice of the United States. In the early years of the court the main focus was setting up procedures and establishing rules. -
John Marshall
John marshall was the fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He is significant because he was the longest serving Chief of Justice in history. His term lasted from 1801 to 1835. -
Creation of the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court should be included in the Supreme Court Milestone timeline because it helps check the Presidant and Congress through the system of checks and balances. The Supreme Court is significant because it established the highest power in legal issues. -
Marbury v. Madison
The case was about William Marbury, the Justice of Peace, whose commission was never delivered. Marbury urged the Supreme Court to have Madison deliver the papers but they denied it. This case is significant because it was the first time the Supreme Court called anything "unconstitutional" therefore establishing judicial review. -
Fletcher v. Peck
In 1800, John Peck got land that was part of a land grant ( known as Yazoo lands) from the legislature. He sold the land to Robert Fletcher claiming the past sales were legitimate. However, Fletcher still argued that the original sale was invalid and Peck had no legal right to sell the land. This was significant because it is the first case of the Supreme court that said a state law was contrary to the Constitution. -
Dartmouth College v. Woodward
New Hampshire's legislature wanted to change Dartmouth College into a state university. The legislature changed the charter by handing over control of trustee appointments to the state's governer. The trustees sued Woodward. This is significant because the Supreme Court said that corporations are protected from impairment by states. -
McCollough v. Maryland
1816- Congress chartered the Second Bank of the United States. In 1818, Maryland tried to tax the bank's notes. James McCulloch refused to pay this tax. This is significant because the Supreme Court decided states could not tax instruments of the goverment. -
Gibbons v. Ogden
New York state law let two people operate steamboats on a river and other places made laws like this. Other states began to get mad because they made foreign steamboats pay fees but a steamboat owner had to get a special permit to navigate waters state to state. This case is significant because Marshall declared it was Congress's power to decide interstate commerence. -
Worcester v. Georgia
The claim of this case was that Georgia couldn't prosecute Worcester because of living on Cherokee territory. Georgia had no right to rule over the Cherokee land. Georgia could not remove the Cherokee from their lands. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
The majority of the Court decided against Scott and said he had no right to sue federal court. They also said slaves were a form of property and when you take a slave in federal property they are just like property. Scott urged he was a free man because he set foot on free soil.
