Marbury v. Madison: The New Supreme Court Gets More Power

After the election of 1800, many of the judgeships that had been promised by the previous administration were left vacant. William Marbury sued the secretary of state to force him to deliver his commission. The new chief justice marshall understood that any decision made in this case could be seen as a denial of the basic principle of the supremacy of the law. His ultimate decision in the case has been hailed as a judicial tour de force.