oracle
03-09-2003, 08:20 PM
A 200-year-old court ruling truly made us what we are (http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/bal-md.kane09mar09,0,6381047.column?coll=bal%2Dhome%2D columnists)
Gregory Kane
Originally published Mar 9, 2003
THE YEAR 2003 marks the 200th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Marbury vs. Madison. So let's whoop it up and celebrate.
What's that? What's Marbury vs. Madison, and why should we care? If Samuel L. Banks, my City College history teacher, were around, he'd simply give us all a look of equal parts bewilderment and amusement, and gently chide, "But you should know this."
Some 27 years ago, we celebrated the Bicentennial, whooping up the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The festivities were considerably more muted 11 years later, when we observed the 200th anniversary of the Constitutional Convention.
The 200th anniversary of Marbury vs. Madison causes no similar devotion, although it should. What happened in 1776 didn't define us as a nation. What happened during the 1787 constitutional debates in Philadelphia defined us only somewhat.
It's what happened on Feb. 24, 1803 -- when the Supreme Court handed down the decision in Marbury vs. Madison -- that established judicial review as a fundamental principle in American government.
For 200 years, the Supreme Court has examined laws and lower court decisions to see if they pass constitutional muster. (One quote from Chief Justice John Marshall sums it up more succinctly: "A law repugnant to the Constitution is void.") While Marbury vs. Madison might not ring a bell, its effect may be discerned from other Supreme Court decisions more famous -- or infamous, depending on where you camp out on the political spectrum.
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Click here to read more (http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/bal-md.kane09mar09,0,6381047.column?coll=bal%2Dhome%2D columnists)
Gregory Kane
Originally published Mar 9, 2003
THE YEAR 2003 marks the 200th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Marbury vs. Madison. So let's whoop it up and celebrate.
What's that? What's Marbury vs. Madison, and why should we care? If Samuel L. Banks, my City College history teacher, were around, he'd simply give us all a look of equal parts bewilderment and amusement, and gently chide, "But you should know this."
Some 27 years ago, we celebrated the Bicentennial, whooping up the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The festivities were considerably more muted 11 years later, when we observed the 200th anniversary of the Constitutional Convention.
The 200th anniversary of Marbury vs. Madison causes no similar devotion, although it should. What happened in 1776 didn't define us as a nation. What happened during the 1787 constitutional debates in Philadelphia defined us only somewhat.
It's what happened on Feb. 24, 1803 -- when the Supreme Court handed down the decision in Marbury vs. Madison -- that established judicial review as a fundamental principle in American government.
For 200 years, the Supreme Court has examined laws and lower court decisions to see if they pass constitutional muster. (One quote from Chief Justice John Marshall sums it up more succinctly: "A law repugnant to the Constitution is void.") While Marbury vs. Madison might not ring a bell, its effect may be discerned from other Supreme Court decisions more famous -- or infamous, depending on where you camp out on the political spectrum.
...
Click here to read more (http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/bal-md.kane09mar09,0,6381047.column?coll=bal%2Dhome%2D columnists)