Marbury v. Madison

US Supreme Court decision of 1803 that affirmed the doctrine of judicial review, establishing the court's authority to declare laws unconstitutional.

The plaintiff, William Marbury, had been appointed the District of Columbia's justice of the peace by President John Adams shortly before he was replaced by Thomas Jefferson in office. However, the new secretary of state, James Madison, withheld the letter of appointment under Jefferson's orders. Marbury appealed to the court to force Madison to produce the letter by issuing a writ of mandamus, a power granted to the Supreme Court by Congress in the Judiciary Act of 1789. The court, however, denied Marbury's appeal, ruling unanimously that the section of the Judiciary Act allowing for writs of mandamus was invalid. Since writs of mandamus were not provided for in the Constitution, the court was not empowered to issue them. This was the first time the court nullified an act of Congress on the basis of constitutionality.