Marbury V Madison was one of the most influential court cases in history because it gave the Supreme Court the power of Judicial Review. At the end of John Adams presidency, before Jefferson could take office, he was a lame duck, but he still had power. Adams appoints Marbury an official of Justice of the Peace, but when Jefferson starts his presidency, Marbury goes to Madison (the Secretary of State) and asks for his commision, or when he can do his job. Madison refuses, and Marbury does what any sensible person would do, he goes to the Supreme Court and asks for a Writ of Mandamus, which would force Madison to give Marbury his job. John Marshall, the Supreme Court judge in charge of the case end up not giving Marbury the Writ of Mandamus because he stated that the Judiciary Act of 1789 that declared that the federal courts could issue a Writ of Mandamus was unconstitutional. This established that the Supreme Court, under the Supremacy Clause and Article III of the US Constitution, could review legislative and executive acts and declare them unconstitutional.
