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Creation of Supreme Court Article III of Constitution
The Judiciary Act of 1789 established a Supreme Court with one Chief Justice and five associate justices. This was the highest court, and it was empowered to rule on the constitutionality of decisions made by state courts. -
John Jay becomes first Chief Justice
Was appointed by President George Washington as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Jay was essential to the creation of Supreme Court procedures. On a side note, in 1794, Washington sent Jay to Britain in order to attempt to talk them out of its offensive obsession with messing with American ships, and impressing American seamen into the British navy. -
John Marshall becomes next Chief Justice
Was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the last months of John Adam's presidency. In his 34 years in this position, Marshall made a great impact on the Supreme Court. His decisions strengthened the central government at the expense of states' rights. -
Marbury v. Madison scheduled to begin
The first major case to be decided by Marshall. In this case, President Jefferson ordered James Madison to not deliver commissions to the federalist judges whom were appointed by Adams. William Marbury sued for his commissions. Marshall ruled that Marbury had a right to his commission, according to the Judiciary Act passed in 1789, which Marshall declared was unconstitutional. Marbury was not given his commission. By ruling the act as unconstitutional, Marshall established judicial review. -
Fletcher v. Peck
This was the first time the Supreme Court declared a state law to be unconstitutional. Marshall ruled it as such in this Georgia land fraud case, arguing that a state could not pass legislation invalidating a contract. -
Dartmouth College v. Woodward
This case involved New Hampshire Law changing Dartmouth college from a private college to a public institution. Marshall ruled this as unconstitutional, because a contract for a private corporation could not be changed by the state. -
McCollough v. Maryland
Maryland tried to collect a tax from the Second Bank of the United States, causing Marshall to rule that the federal government had the implied power to create the bank, therefore a state could not tax a federal institution. -
Gibbons v. Ogden
Marshall established the federal government's broad control of interstate commerce after ruling that New York granting a monopoly to a steamboat company conflicting with a charter authorized by Congress as unconstitutional. -
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
This happened when Indian removal ideas began to come up in various politician minds. Georgia was only one of the states who passed laws forcing Cherokees to migrate west. This case occured when the Cherokee Indians challenged this movement. The ruling was that Cherokees were not a foreign nation, therefore they had no right to sue in court. -
Worcester v. Georgia 3 Mar 1832
This was a continuation of Cherokee Nation v. Georgia. In this case, the court ruled that the laws placed in Georgia had no force within the Cherokee boundaries. -
Commonwealth v. Hunt
The one notable victory for organized labor, when the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that "peaceful unions" had the right to negotiate labor contracts with employers. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott had been a slave in Missouri, then was taken to Wisconsin (a free state) for two years, then returned to Missouri. Scott sued for his freedom, arguing that he was a free citizen, because he lived on free soil for two years. The majority of the court was against Scott for various reasons involving his right to sue, the Missouri Compromise, and property (slaves). This made Southern Democrats very happy, and Northern Republicans outraged.
