Landmark Cases

Marbury v Madison

Citation Formats

General Reference

Law Atlas. "Marbury v Madison." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://law.interactiveatlas.org/landmark-cases/marbury-v-madison.

APA Style

Law Atlas. (n.d.). Marbury v Madison. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://law.interactiveatlas.org/landmark-cases/marbury-v-madison

BibTeX

@misc{lawatlas-marbury-v-madison,
  author = {Law Atlas},
  title = {Marbury v Madison},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://law.interactiveatlas.org/landmark-cases/marbury-v-madison},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Marbury v Madison is an 1803 United States Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review, the power of federal courts to invalidate a legislative or executive act that conflicts with the Constitution. It arose from a dispute over judicial commissions signed in the final hours of President John Adams administration but left undelivered by the incoming administration. Chief Justice John Marshall opinion held that William Marbury had a right to his commission, but that the section of the Judiciary Act of 1789 purporting to give the Supreme Court original jurisdiction to issue the remedy he sought was itself unconstitutional, and therefore void, an outcome that established the Court own power of review while denying the specific relief sought.

Facts

Decision Year

1803 1

Decision Date

1803-02-24 2

Holding

Held that the Supreme Court has the power to review acts of Congress and declare them unconstitutional and void; struck down section 13 of the Judiciary Act of 1789 as an unconstitutional expansion of the Court own original jurisdiction. 1

Current Status

Foundational and undisturbed; the principle of judicial review it established remains the basis of United States constitutional adjudication. 1

Cross-Tradition Connections