Constitutional Law: Landmark Supreme Court Cases

Introduction: This legal brief examines three landmark Supreme Court cases that fundamentally shaped constitutional interpretation in the United States: Marbury v. Madison (1803), Brown v. Board of Education (1954), and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). Each case represents a watershed moment in constitutional jurisprudence, expanding or clarifying fundamental rights and the role of judicial review.

I. Marbury v. Madison (1803): Establishing Judicial Review

Facts: Following the presidential transition from John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, William Marbury was appointed as a justice of the peace but his commission was not delivered. Marbury petitioned the Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus compelling Secretary of State James Madison to deliver the commission.

Issue: Does the Supreme Court have the authority to review acts of Congress and declare them unconstitutional?

Holding: Chief Justice John Marshall, writing for a unanimous Court, held that while Marbury had a right to his commission, the Court could not grant the requested relief because Section 13 of the Judiciary Act of 1789, which purported to grant the Court such power, was unconstitutional. In doing so, Marshall established the principle of judicial review—the Court's authority to strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution...

II. Brown v. Board of Education (1954): Equal Protection and School Desegregation

Facts: Several cases were consolidated addressing state laws requiring racial segregation in public schools. The plaintiffs argued that segregated schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment...