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Creation of the Supreme Court
Judiciary Act of 1789 established the details of the Supreme Court, 13 district courts were created in principal cities and each had one judge with three circut courts also, Supreme Court is only court of appeals -
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John Jay
John Jayfirst chief justice of the Supreme Court, president of the continental congress and New York native, appointed by Washington to serve, after five years of service became govenor of New York, appointed to second term but declined -
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John Marshall
Marshall took the Supreme Court from being thought as insignifigant to being an equal branch of the government. Marshall served for 34 years and was cheif justice during Marbury vs. Madison -
Marbury vs. Madison
doctrine of judicial review established because of this case, Marbury was appointed by Adams before he left office to be justice of the peace but never got his office, system of checks and balances was introduced for him to get office but in the end he didn't recieve his position after law ruled unconstitutional -
Fletcher vs. Peck
Land that had been divided in into four tracts in 1795 was sold to Fletcher by Peck and when the sales became invalid because of bribes. In the end the Supreme Court ruled that the reapeal of the law was unconstitutional and the land wasn't taken away from Fletcher. -
Dartmouth College vs. Woodward
Dartmouth was a private institution and in 1816 the government tried to convert the college into a public university. By changing the control of trustee appointments to the govenor they hoped to accomplish this, but as decided in supreme court the government had no right to do this. Their charter was between two private parties so the government had no control. -
McCollough vs. Maryland
McCollough ran the Baltimore branch of the Band of the United States and issued bank notes without complying to a Maryland law stating that banks must use government issued bank notes. Maryland sued McCollough for his actions and McCollough argued about the constiutionality of the law. -
Gibbons vs. Ogden
Ogden was granted an 'exclusive' charter to navigate his steamboat and when Gibbons tried also using his steamboat in the same area Ogden sued. Originally Ogden won the case but in appeal Gibbons won because of a ruling regarding an act from 1793 concerning commerce. In the end he won his right to operate his steamboat. -
Cherokee Nation vs. Georgia
In the matter of this supreme court case the Cherokee Nation was filing a law suit trying to prove that laws that were to be carried out in the state of Georgia ignored their rights as a people. The court wouldn't even hear the case which denied the rights of the Cherokee to govern themselves. -
Worchester vs. Georgia
In this case the supreme court vacated the ruling of Worchester after he was convicted by a law saying that being a non-indian on indian lands without a permit was against the law. They ruled that the law was unconstitutional. -
Commonwealth vs. Hunt
This case was to establish whether or not labor unions could be indicted for criminal conspiracy. The judge hearing this case ruled that labor unions were protected from this indictment after one member was dismissed then complained. -
Dredd Scott vs Sandford
Dredd Scott was a free black living in the north, then moved to a slave state. Hoping to have a ruling in his favor for freedom Scott sued but in the end the court ruled that African Americans could not be US citizens and the compromise of 1820 was unconstiutional, thus opening up slavery in all US territories. The decision of this case outraged the abolitionists.
