1803: established the power of judicial review. Which case is this?

• A. Gibbons v. Ogden
• B. McCulloch v. Maryland
• C. Brown v. Board of Education
• D. Marbury v. Madison

Answer: (D)

Judicial review is the power of the courts to strike down laws or government actions that conflict with the Constitution. In Marbury v. Madison (1803), Chief Justice John Marshall established that authority for the Supreme Court. The case held that while Marbury had a right to the commission, the Judiciary Act authorizing the Court to issue such writs extended beyond the powers given to the judiciary by the Constitution, so the Court could not grant it. This ruling solidified that the Constitution is the supreme law and that the judiciary has the duty to interpret it and invalidate laws or actions that violate it.

Gibbons v. Ogden deals with the scope of federal power over interstate commerce, not the establishment of judicial review. McCulloch v. Maryland concerns federal supremacy and implied powers. Brown v. Board of Education addresses equal protection under the 14th Amendment and the end of school segregation.