Marbury v. Madison and McCulloch v. Maryland are some of the earliest examples of landmark cases in the history of the Supreme Court. Their decisions, which have had lasting impacts on the interpretation of the Constitution, are vital to todays understanding of the federal government.
Marbury v. Madison established the policy of judicial review. Judicial review holds that the court has the power to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional should it be inconsistent with the Constitution. This put a sizable check on the power of Congress to pass laws and established the power of the court in the new government.
McCulloch v. Maryland established that when it comes to clashes between state laws and federal laws, federal laws will always trump state laws except for a few rare exceptions. This reaffirmed the power of the new national government and the broad sweeping power it had over the states.
