2. To what extent did John Marshall expand the power of the Supreme Court under the Marbury v. Madison Court case?
The Marbury vs. Madison court case of 1803 is a very important case in history that would change the United States Supreme Court indefinitely. This case was the first of many of its time that would increase the power of the United States Supreme court. The court case arose because of former President John Adams' midnight judge action. Just before Jefferson was to take office, Adams appointed last-minute Federalist judges, including William Marbury, into the Supreme Court, in order to make sure Democrat-Republican acts would not be passed. But, Jefferson's Secretary of State, James Madison, did not deliver the commission and denied ever receiving one. Marbury sued Madison over such an act, with John Marshall as a judge. Marshall, a Federalist, ruled in favor of Madison, a Democrat-Republican, shocking everyone, Federalists and Anti-Federalists alike. Technically, Marbury had the right to the commission, but the court could not force Madison to deliver such commission. Marshall, of course, had reason for betraying his party. If he'd ruled in favor of Marbury, then the court would only be Federalist for a few years before Jefferson was allowed to appoint new judges, and then the country would be full of Democrat-Republican policies. Since Marshall ruled in favor of Madison, this would assure his position on the Court for life, where he could easily dissuade fellow judges from policies he did not approve of. This also created the policy of judicial review, in which the Supreme Court had the right to decide what was constitutional, and put more power in the hands of the Court.
The Supreme Court put its power to use in other important cases over the few years following the case of Marbury vs. Madison. For example, the court case of Dartmouth College vs. Wodward in 1819 was a decision of property rights. The state of New Hampshire attempted to change...