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Creation of the Supreme Court
By the Judiciary Act of 1789, 13 distrcit courts were created in major cities, with 1 judge in each court, and 3 circuit courts to cover the areas of eastern, middle, and southern U.S. Congress established the Supreme Court as the overruling court, with a Chief Justice and Associate Justices. -
John Jay
John Jay of New York was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Appointed by George Washington, Jay served 5 years on the bench, then became the governor of New York, declining the nomination for a second term as Chief Justice. -
John Marshall
Under President John Adams, John Marshall, a Revolutionary War veteran, was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1801 and remains one of the most famous Chief Justices to this day. Marshall served 34 years, which was the longest tenure of any Chief Justice. He also helped establish the Supreme Court as the final authority on the interpretation and meaning of the Constitution of the United States. -
Fletcher vs. Peck
In 1795, Georgia had divided and sold 35-million-acres of land to development companies. Apparently, these sales were approved in exchange for bribes and when this was discovered, the transactions were voided. John Peck had purchased and sold land to Robert Fletcher in 1803 under the 1795 act. Fletcher then sued Peck and the Supreme Court unanimously voted that the state's repeal of the law was unconstitutional. -
Marbury vs. Madison
William Marbury was appointed by President John Adams to serve as the justive of the peace for Washington D.C. Because Marbury never fully issued his appointment after Adams left office, a petition was started and the court case of Marbury vs. Madison erupted. The Supreme Court decided that Marbury was entitled to the position, inroducing the establishmet of the doctrine of judicial review, the Supreme Court's power as interpreter of the Constitution, and the concept of checks and balances. -
Dartmouth College vs. Woodward
The New Hampshire legislature attempted to change Darmouth College from a privately funded institution into a state university. This legislature transferred the control of trustee appointments to the governor. Attempting to regain authority, the old trustees of Dartmouth College filed a suit against William H. Woodward, who had sided with the new appointees. The Supreme Court, in a 6-1 decision, concluded that private corporations were protected by alteration by states. -
McCulloch vs. Maryland
The Second Bank of the United States was established by Congress in 1816. In 1817, a branch of the bak was opened in Baltimore, Maryland. The state, in 1818, then passes a law imposing a tax on al lbanks not chartered by their legislature. The head of the Baltimore branch, James McCulloch, refused to pay the tax. Ultimately, the Supreme Court held that Congress had the right to create the bank and denied Maryland's laws because they interfered with Congress's powers. -
Gibbons vs.Ogden
Aaron Ogden had recently purchased rights to operate steamboats between the water of New York and New Jersey. He then sued Thomas Gibbons for operating in the same waters withouth the permission of the state. The Supreme Court discovered that New York's actions were inconsistend with Congress's duty of regulating coastal trade, assisting in the establishment of grating Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce by the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. -
Worcester vs. Georgia
In the 1820s and 1830s, the state of Georgia began a campaign to remove the Cherokee Indians of the Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee territory. The tribe appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that they were a sovereign nation that could not be removed without the consent of the Indians. The court ruled in favor of the Cherokee Indians, but this still did not subdue the migration of the native tribes. -
Dred Scott vs. Sanford
After years as a slave in Missouri, Dred Scott had moved to the free territory of Wisconsin and had resided there for two years before moving back to Missouri. Scott appealed to a Missouri court and sued for his freedom, stating that his period of residence in Wisconsin declared him a free citizen. Chief Justice Roger Taney and the majority of the Supreme Court ruled against Scott and also declared that all parts of the western territories were open to slavery, enraging the northern Republicans.
