Marbury versus Madison


A case decided by the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Marshall in 1803. The Court declared unanimously that a certain law passed by Congress should not be enforced, because the law was opposed to the Constitution. Marbury versus Madison established the principle of “judicial review” — that the Supreme Court has the power to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.

Words Nearby Marbury versus Madison

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.