1803 - Marbury v. Madison

President and Founder James Madison

       John Marshall's 1803 decision gave the courts the privilege of 'judicial review' in order to undo 'errors' of law and/or governance made by the legislative or executive branches.  Errors of the judiciary can be rectified only by impeachment - which President Jefferson tried to do, unsuccessfully, in the case of a particularly rabid Federalist justice, Samuel Chase.

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