Marbury v. Madison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marbury v. Madison - Essay Example In the confusion of changing from the Adams administration to the Jefferson administration Marbury’s commission was not delivered. Madison, following Jefferson’s orders, did not deliver the commission but withheld it from Marbury because he was a Federalist. The commission was signed by Adams and all was in order except the commission was not delivered. Marbury was denied his commission and prevented from becoming a Justice of the Peace in Washington. At the time of the Jefferson administrations refusal to deliver the commission to Marbury the Supreme Court had been appointed but was a relatively weak institution. John Marshall (a Federalist and cousin to Jefferson) was the Chief Justice and was appointed by Adams during his administration. Although Jefferson was Marshall’s cousin, both disagreed greatly when it came to politics. Jefferson was a Democratic Republican while Marshall was a Federalist. So, it was assumed that when Marbury brought his case to the Supreme Court he would receive a ruling that, influenced by a Federalist, would benefit him. William Marbury did bring his case directly to the Supreme Court and requested a ruling that included a Writ of Mandamus which forces a government official to follow through with official duties and, in this case, deliver the commission. Marshall was in a tough predicament as he needed to deliver a fair ruling but knew that the Supreme Court had little power. Jefferson could have possibly ignored a ruling that did not benefit his administration further degrading the power of the Supreme Court. Marshall was tasked with answering three questions (from Supreme Court Cases: The Dynamic Court): With these questions in mind Marshall deliberated with the court and then delivered the unanimous ruling of the Court. The ruling was given on February 24th of 1803. The ruling concluded that Jefferson and Madison were wrong in denying Marbury the commission as Marbury had a right to the job as