what was marbury v madison

Marbury v. Madison (1803) was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review, meaning that American courts have the power to declare laws unconstitutional. The case arose when William Marbury, appointed Justice of the Peace by outgoing President John Adams, did not receive his commission because the new Secretary of State, James Madison, refused to deliver it. Marbury petitioned the Supreme Court to compel Madison to deliver the commission. Chief Justice John Marshall, writing the unanimous opinion, addressed three questions: whether Marbury had a right to his commission, whether there was a legal remedy for him, and whether the Supreme Court could legally issue that remedy. The Court found Marbury had a right to the commission and that a legal remedy existed in the form of a writ of mandamus, which commands a government official to perform a duty. However, the Court ruled it could not issue the writ because the section of the Judiciary Act of 1789 that gave the Court that power expanded its original jurisdiction beyond what the Constitution allowed, making that provision unconstitutional. This decision established that the Constitution is the supreme law and that the judiciary has the authority to review and invalidate laws that conflict with the Constitution. Thus, Marbury v. Madison cemented the Supreme Court's role as the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution and the arbiter of the limits of government power