Law Office of Thomas J. Callahan

02/25/2026

Such a significant decision. The cornerstone of the Court’s authority.

“It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is." - John Marshall

In a decision written by Chief Justice John Marshall on February 24, 1803, the Supreme Court ruled in Marbury v. Madison that the courts have the power to declare a law unconstitutional, establishing the principle of judicial review and affirming the judicial branch of government as co-equal to Congress and the President.

Learn more about the landmark case from the National Constitution Center → https://bit.ly/3D1rl1t

🖼️: Portrait of John Marshall by Henry Inman, 1832

02/01/2026

01/21/2026

With just six weeks left in office, on January 20, 1801, President John Adams nominated Secretary of State John Marshall to become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Marshall ended up served over 34 years in the role, longer than any other Chief Justice, and helped shape the modern Supreme Court.

Although President-elect Thomas Jefferson was less than pleased with his predecessor's 11th hour appointment, Adams would later remark that "my gift of John Marshall to the people of the United States was the proudest act of my life."

🖼️: Portrait of John Marshall by Henry Inman, 1832.