A delivered commission goes missing, a new Chief Justice takes the bench, and a dry jurisdictional dispute turns into a lodestar for American constitutional law. We dive into Marbury v. Madison to unpack what John Marshall actually did: not conjure judicial review out of thin air, but clarify why a written Constitution demands an independent check when statutes collide with higher law.
We walk through the case’s colorful backstory to set the stage, then focus on the heart of the opinion—constitutional supremacy and the judiciary’s limited but essential role. Marshall’s choice is stark: either the Constitution is superior law or Congress can change foundational rules by ordinary legislation. From that premise flows a judicial duty anchored in the oath, constrained to real “cases or controversies,” and aimed at applying the law faithfully rather than issuing political advice. Along the way, we connect the dots to Federalist 78, the ratifying conventions, and Anti-Federalist critiques like Brutus, showing how review was expected even before Marbury gave it durable language.
We also take on the tired activism-versus-restraint frame. If “restraint” means leaving unconstitutional laws in place, it betrays the very supremacy Marshall defended. The sharper question is fidelity: Did the court get the Constitution right, using principled methods and respecting institutional limits? Seen through that lens, Marbury becomes a case study in judicial responsibility—neither power grab nor passivity, but a disciplined insistence that the Constitution is law, not aspiration.
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