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Judicial Conference of the United StatesMarbury v. Madison (1977)

Equal Justice Under Law

Marbury v. Madison (1st in a 4 part series).

Dramatizations of historic decisions from the courtroom of America's great Chief Justice, John Marshall.

Who determines what the Constitution means—what is and is not constitutional?

In this 1803 case the Supreme Court established its responsibility to review the constitutionality of acts of Congress. President John Adams appointed Federalist William Marbury as justice of the peace, but failed to deliver Marbury's official commission before President Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans took over the administration. Marbury asked the Supreme Court to order Jefferson's Secretary of State, James Madison, to deliver the commission. Marbury's demand precipitated a confrontation between Chief Justice Marshall and President Thomas Jefferson. The Supreme Court held that it did not have jurisdiction and declared that the law permitting the Court to hear the case was unconstitutional.

This series includes: Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, United States v. Aaron Burr, and Gibbons v. Ogden


This movie is part of the collection: FedFlix

Producer: Judicial Conference of the United States
Audio/Visual: sound, color
Language: English
Keywords: Judicial Conference; Supreme Court; courts.gov

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Credits

Purchase of the tape of this video was made possible through a contribution by Joseph Kulhavy.


The Committee on the Bicentennial of Independence and the Constitution
The Judicial Conference of the United States

Co-Chairmen
Chief Judge Clement F. Haynsworth, Jr.
Chief Judge Edward J. Devitt

Coordinator
Chief Judge Howard T. Markey

Consultants
Professor William Swindler, College of William and Mary
Professor Anthony Penna, Carnegie-Mellon University
Professor Robert Potter, University of Pittsburgh
Professor Richard Seeburger, University of Pittsburgh
Professor Irving Bartlett, Carnegie-Mellon University

Art Direction, Sets and Costumes
In cooperation with the drama department of Carnegie-Mellon University

Metropolitan Pittsburgh Public Broadcasting, Inc.

Segments

A comprehensive teacher's guide is available.