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Creation of a Supreme Court
Article 3 of the constitution creates the judicial branch of the government. The duty of the Judicial Branch is to interpret the laws. The Supreme Court has the authority to deem acts of the President or Congress unconstitutional. -
John Jay
John Jay was the first Chief Justice of the United States. -
John Marshall
As a federalist judge, John Marshall's most known case was that of Marbury vs. Madison. He caused his cousin, Thomas Jefferson, the most greif of all the judges. -
Marbury vs. Madison
The case of Marbury vs. Madison was the first major case to be decided by John Marshall. William Marbury sued James Madison for his commision. Marshall ruled that Marbury had a right to his commision according to the Judiciary Act passed by congress in 1789. -
Fletcher vs. Peck
This case involved land fraud in Georgia. Marshall ruled that a state could not pass legislation invalidating a contract. This was the first time that a state law was declared unconstitutional by the supreme court. -
Dartmouth College vs. Woodward
Marshall struck down a the state law that changed Dartmouth College from a private charter to a public institution. He deemed it unconstitutional. -
McCulloch vs. Maryland
Marshall ruled that the federal government had the implied power to create the bank and that a state could not tax a federal institution becuse federal laws are supreme over state laws. -
Gibbons vs. Ogden
Marshall ruled that New York's monopoly to a steamboat company was unconstitutional and he established the federal government's broad control of interstate commerce. -
Cherokee Nation vs. Georgia
The Cherokees challenged Georgia when Georgia and other states made the Cherokees move west. The supreme ruled that the Cherokees did not have the right to sue in a federal court. -
Worcester vs. Georgia
The supreme court ruled that Georgia's laws had no validity in the cherokee territory. -
Commonwealth vs. Hunt
When the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that peaceful unions had the right to negotiate labor contracts with employers. -
Dred Scott vs. Sanford
Dred Scott was a slave in Misssouri and then he lived in the free state of Wisconsin for two years. He argued that he was a free citizen because of his time on free soil. The supreme court decided against Scott.
