Although each State had its own State Constitution and a Judiciary tasked with upholding the Constitution, State laws that violated the Federal Constitution could be overturned by a Federal court.
The Power of the Judiciary Relative the Legislative and Executive Branches
The Framers of the Constitution viewed the Judiciary as a Check on the other two branches, not necessarily as a dynamic force in itself. In the Federalist Paper No. 78, James Madison wrote that "…the judiciary, from the nature of its functions, will always be the least dangerous to the political rights of the Constitution . . . [it] may truly be said to have neither FORCE nor WILL, but merely judgment; and must ultimately depend upon the aid of the executive arm even for the efficacy of its judgments." (Federalist No. 78)
Although the Framers believed that the Judiciary was meant to have a limited role, it did appear, as Justice Marshall implied, that the Supreme Court was meant to be the mouthpiece for the Constitution. "A constitution is, in fact, and must be regarded by the judges, as a fundamental law. It therefore belongs to them to ascertain its meaning, as well as the meaning of any particular act proceeding from the legislative body. If there should happen to be an irreconcilable variance between the two, that which has the superior obligation and validity ought, of course, to be preferred; or, in other words, the Constitution ought to be preferred to the statute, the intention of the people to the intention of their agents." (Federalist No. 78)
The Judiciary and its Relationship with the Popular Electorate
The Judiciary is the only branch of the Federal Government not popularly elected. The Federal Judiciary is appointed by the President, the head of the Executive Branch. The appointment must also gain the approval of Congress before becoming effective. However, at no point in the process does the popular electorate have a say. In a very important sense, the Judiciary can be seen as the least democratic of the three branches of government.
The insulation of the Supreme Court from popular opinion is unsettling when one considers that the Supreme Court has the power to strike down the laws of a popularly elected Congress. This creates the possibility that the popular electorate has no say in a critical phase of the legislative process. For example, if there were a very activist Supreme Court which overturned many laws that...
Marbury v. Madison legal case involved a divergence between William Marbury and James Madison on account of how the latter did not act in agreement with former (he finished his term before Madison was appointed Secretary of State) President John Adams' command to deliver several appointments naming Federal circuit judges and Federalist justices. Madison did not act on this command because he was under the power of the newly
Marbury v. Madison President John Adams appointed William Marbury to be a justice of the peace. Normally that would have been perfectly acceptable, except for the act that Adams made the appointment two days before he left office (Faragher, et al., 2009). Thomas Jefferson, who took over the office of the Presidency from Adams, did not want Marbury to be a justice of the peace, so he denied the position by
Chief Justice Marshall uses the Marbury decision to make a landmark case on the power of the courts, and does so based not on specific articles within the Constitution, but on his perception of what his belief and perception of the power of the Courts and thus the Constitution should be. He believes that the character of the Constitution in this case is defining the right of the Supreme Court to judicially review federal legislation
Marbury v. Madison Facts of the case What were the circumstances of Marbury v. Madison in 1803? Why do some scholars and historians refer to Marbury v. Madison as among the most important cases to ever come before the United States Supreme Court? This paper covers the issues surrounding this case, presenting the facts and scholarship relating to the case as well. Facts of the case This was the first case to reach the
Marbury v. Madison was a case between William Marbury and James Madison in 1803, which sparked one of the most important decisions made in American history. The case itself has actually enabled the Supreme Court to declare an act of law unconstitutional. Marbury v. Madison also further established the idea of judicial review within the United States, allowing the courts some power in nullifying the decisions of one branch of
Marbury v. Madison case is a Supreme Court case that is studied due to its legal and historical significance. In the United States, this is the pioneering as well as most influential legal proceedings ever experienced. The case was the first one of that kind as it looked into the administrative that has been classified given that the law involves all interactions involving the Federal Government (Law.com, 2015). A Federalist, President
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