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John Jay
Serving the new republic he was Secretary for Foreign Affairs under the Articles of Confederation, a contributor to the Federalist, the first Chief Justice of the United States, negotiator of the 1794 "Jay Treaty" with Great Britain, and a two-term Governor of the State of New York. -
John Marshall
John Marshall was born September 24, 1755 Marshall was Chief Justice of the United States, serving from January 31, 1801, until his death in 1835. -
Creation of Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States was authorized by Articles II and III of the U.S. Constitution. It was given a general mandate, but details of its organization were left to Congress. The first legislation that came before the U.S. Senate in 1789 was the Judiciary Act, which established a court of one chief justice and five associate justices. The newly established court met for the first time in 1790. -
Marbury vs Madison
This case resulted from a petition to the Supreme Court by William Marbury, who had been appointed by President John Adams as Justice of the Peace in the District of Columbia but whose commission was not subsequently delivered. Marbury petitioned the Supreme Court to force Secretary of State James Madison to deliver the documents, but the court, with John Marshall as Chief Justice, denied Marbury's petition, holding that the part of the statute upon which he based his claim, the Judiciary Act of -
Fletcher vs Peck
An 1810 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, Fletcher v. Peck, 10 , held that public grants were contractual obligations that could not be abrogated without fair compensation, even though the state legislature that made the grant had been corrupted and a subsequent legislature had passed an act nullifying the original grant. -
Dartmouth vs Woodward
Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 17 U.S. was a landmark United States Supreme Court case dealing with the application of the Contract Clause of the United States Constitution to private corporations. The case arose when the president of Dartmouth College was deposed by its trustees, leading to the New Hampshire legislature attempting to force the college to become a public institution and thereby place the ability to appoint trustees in the hands of the governor. -
McCollough vs Maryland
McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819, was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States. The state of Maryland had attempted to impede operation of a branch of the Second Bank of the United States by imposing a tax on all notes of banks not chartered in Maryland. -
Worcester vs Georgia
Worcester v. Georgia, 1832, was a case in which the United States Supreme Court vacated the conviction of Samuel Worcester, holding that the Georgia criminal statute, prohibiting non-Indians from being present on Indian lands without a license from the state, was unconstitutional. -
Gibbons vs Ogden
Gibbons v. Ogden,1824 was a landmark decision in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that the power to regulate interstate commerce was granted to Congress by the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution.
