LANDMARK CASE
Marbury v. Madison
5 U.S. 137 (1803) · Supreme Court of the United States · Constitutional law
At a glance
- Citation: 5 U.S. 137 (1803)
- Court: Supreme Court of the United States
- Area of law: Constitutional law
- In one line: Yes. The Court established judicial review, though it did not grant Marbury's writ.
1 Facts
Marbury sought a writ of mandamus to receive his commission as a justice of the peace.
2 Issue
Can courts strike down laws contrary to the Constitution?
3 What the court decided
Yes. The Court established judicial review, though it did not grant Marbury's writ.
4 Why it matters
The origin of judicial review, a basic feature of Indian constitutional law.
5 Think about it
Why did Chief Justice Marshall refuse the writ but still claim great power?
6 Analyse it yourself
Read the full judgment from an official source or a law database, then brief it in seven steps: facts, issues, arguments, decision, ratio, obiter and significance. Always check the citation before you rely on it.
7 More cases on Constitutional law
- A.K. Gopalan v. State of Madras AIR 1950 SC 27
- ADM Jabalpur v. Shivkant Shukla (1976) 2 SCC 521
- Air India v. Nergesh Meerza (1981) 4 SCC 335
- Ajay Hasia v. Khalid Mujib Sehravardi (1981) 1 SCC 722
- Anuj Garg v. Hotel Association of India (2008) 3 SCC 1
- Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India (2020) 3 SCC 637
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A short teaching summary for students. Educational content only, not legal advice.