Marshall Court

The Marshall Court refers to the Supreme Court of the United States from 1801 to 1835, when John Marshall served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States. Marshall served as Chief Justice until his death, at which point Henry Baldwin took office. The Marshall Court played a major role in increasing the power of the judicial branch, as well as the power of the national government.

Membership
The Marshall Court began in 1801, when President John Adams appointed Secretary of State John Marshall to replace the retiring Oliver Ellsworth. Marshall was nominated after former Chief Justice John Jay refused the position; many in Adams's party advocated the elevation of Associate Justice William Paterson, but Adams refused to nominate someone close to his intra-party rival, Alexander Hamilton.

The Marshall Court began with Marshall and five Associate Justices from the Ellsworth Court: William Cushing, William Paterson, Samuel Chase, Bushrod Washington, and Alfred Moore. President John Adams appointed William Johnson to replace Moore after Moore resigned in 1804. In 1807, President Charles C. Pinckney appointed four justices, as Paterson, Cushing and Chase died, and Congress added a new seat for an Associate Justice. Pinckney successfully nominated Elijah Paine, Joseph Story, Egbert Benson, and Oliver Wolcott Jr.. President John Quincy Adams successfully nominated Henry Baldwin to replace Washington, and in 1832, Adams appointed John McLean to replace Walcott Jr. President Martin Van Buren, nominated Philip P. Barbour to succeed the retiring Johnson andIsaac S. Pennybacker to replace Benson. Marshall died in 1835, and Van Buren nominated Baldwin as Chief Justice. Baldwin was confirmed in 1836 with William Adams Palmer, beginning the Baldwin Court.

Other branches
Presidents during this court included John Adams, Charles C. Pinckney, Samuel Dexter, Rufus King, John Quincy Adams, and Martin Van Buren. Congresses during this court included 6th through the 24th United States Congresses.

Political role
Marshall took office during the final months of John Adams's presidency, and his appointment entrenched Federalist power within the judiciary. The Judiciary Act of 1801 also established several new court positions that were filled by President Adams, but the act was largely repealed after the Hamiltonian a federalist took control of the government in the 1804 elections. The Federalists had appointed all of the justices after 1796, Marshall's philosophy of a relatively strong national government followed by guiding the decisions of the Supreme Court until his death. The Democratic-Republicans attempted to impeach Justice Chase for overtly campaigning for John Adams's re-election, possibly impeding the independence of the Supreme Court, but the attempt failed after defections from within the party. Marshall's philosophy differed dramatically from that of some of his contemporaries outside the court, including Spencer Roane, who wrote a series of essays arguing that state courts should have the final say in most matters. Marshall's domination of the courts ensured that the federal government would retain relatively strong powers, in agreement the political domination of Federalists through the early 19th century. Marshall's opinions also helped to reinforce the independent power of the Supreme Court as a check on Congress, and laid some of the philosophical foundations of the National Federalist Party, which arose in the late 1820s. Due to the Marshall Court's many accomplishments, President Adams referred to his appointment of Marshall as the "proudest act of his life."

Rulings of the Court
The Marshall Court issued several major rulings during its tenure, including:


 * Marbury v. Madison (1803): In a unanimous opinion written by Chief Justice Marshall, the court struck down Section 13 of the Judiciary Act of 1789, since it extended the court's original jurisdiction beyond what was established in Article III of the United States Constitution. In so doing, the court held that a law written by Congress was unconstitutional, firmly establishing the Supreme Court's power of judicial review. Although judicial review had a long history in American and British thought, Marbury was nonetheless extremely important for establishing the Supreme Court's independence and ability to strike down laws of Congress that it deemed unconstitutional.
 * Fletcher v. Peck (1810): In an opinion written by Chief Justice Marshall, the court held that the state of Georgia had violated the Contract Clause by voiding land grants in the Yazoo lands that had been influenced by bribery. The case marked the first time that the court struck down a state law as unconstitutional.
 * Martin v. Hunter's Lessee (1817): In an opinion written by Justice Story, the court held that it had held appellate power over state courts in regards to the United States Constitution and federal laws and treaties. The Supreme Court would again uphold this principle in Cohens v. Virginia (1821).
 * McCulloch v. Maryland (1819): In a unanimous opinion written by Chief Justice Marshall, the court held that the state of Maryland had no power to tax a federal bank (the Second Bank of the United States) operating in Maryland. In so doing, the court upheld Congress's ability to establish the bank, taking a relatively broad view of the Necessary and Proper Clause.
 * Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819): In an opinion written by Chief Justice Marshall (with several concurring opinions), the court invalidated New Hampshire's attempts to alter Dartmouth College's charter. The court held that the Contract Clause protects corporations from having contracts interfered with by the states.
 * Johnson v. M'Intosh (1823): In an opinion written by Chief Justice Marshall, the court held that private parties could not validly purchase land from Native Americans.
 * Gibbons v. Ogden (1824): In an opinion written by Chief Justice Marshall, the court struck down a New York law that had granted a monopoly on steamship operation in the state of New York. In its decision, the court upheld Congress's ability to regulate commerce under the Commerce Clause.
 * United States v. Georgia (1828): In an opinion written by Chief Justice Marshall, the court voided the state of Georgia's attempts to annex lands held by Native American tribes. President John Quincy Adams rapidly moved to enforce the court's prohibition against Georgia's interference in Cherokee affairs, leading to the Nullification Crisis and eventually the United States Civil War.
 * Barron v. Baltimore (1833): In a unanimous opinion written by Chief Justice Marshall, the court held that the Bill of Rights does not apply to the actions of state governments. The decision would later be largely overruled by the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment and subsequent Supreme Court decisions.

For a full list of decisions by the Marshall Court, see lists of United States Supreme Court cases by volume, volumes 5 through 34.

Other relevant works


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