Why was Marbury v. Madison an important U.S. Supreme Court case?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: Why was Marbury v. Madison an important U.S. Supreme Court case? Answer options:
1) The court ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional.
2) The court held that redistricting qualifies as a justiciable question under the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, thus enabling federal courts to hear Fourteenth Amendment-based redistricting cases.
3) The court decided that the U.S. Constitution requires U.S. states to provide attorneys to criminal defendants who are unable to afford their own.
4) The case allowed the court to determine the constitutionality of the laws.

Option 1 analysis: This statement describes the outcome of Brown v. Board of Education (1954), not Marbury v. Madison. It confuses case topics—federal judicial review vs. state segregation in schools—so it is incorrect based on content and timeline.

Option 2 analysis: This describes issues related to redistricting and equal protection, which involve later constitutional questions and different doctrinal developments (e.g., Reynolds v. Sims or other civil rights-era cases). It does not capture the core holding of Marbury v. Madison, so it is not correct in relation to this case.

Option 3 analysis: This concerns the right to counsel for indigent defendants, a landmark issue arising from later cases such as Gideon v. Wainwright (1963). It is not relevant to Marbury v. Madison’s key contribution, so this is inaccurate in this context.

Option 4 analysis: This statement reflects the central, foundational outcome of Marbury v. Madison: it established judicial review—the power of the courts to interpret the Constitution and determine the constitutionality of laws and executive actions. This is the pivotal reason the decision is esteemed, as it created a check on legislative and executive branches and established the court’s role in constitutional interpretation. The reasoning behind this choice hinges on the precedential idea that the judiciary can strike down laws or governmental actions that violate the Constitution, thereby shaping the balance of governmental powers.

In summary, the incorrect options either describe outcomes from other historical cases or misstate the focus of Marbury v. Madison, whereas the correct framing highlights the establishment of judicial review as the court’s authority to evaluate constitutionality of laws.

Why was Marbury v. Madison an important U.S. Supreme Court case?

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