John Marshall + Influential Cases

John Marshall

The fourth Chief Justice of the United States, John Marshall (federalist) served from 1801 to 1835. He had the most grief with Jefferson. Appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during the final months of John Adams’s presidency. His landmark rulings established the principles of American constitutional law and reinforced the power of the Supreme Court.

Fletcher V. Peck (1810)

In a case involving land fraud in Georgia, Marshall concluded that a state could not pass legislation invalidating a contract. This was the first time the Supreme Court declared a state law to be invalid and unconstitutional.

Martin V. Hunters Lease (1816)

The Supreme Court established that it had jurisdiction over state courts in cases involving constitutional rights

Dartmouth College V. Woodward (1819)

This case involved a law of New Hampshire that changed Dartmouth College from a privately chartered college into a public institution. The Marshall Court struck down the state law as unconstitutional, arguing that a contract for a private corporation could not be altered by the state.

McCulloch V. Maryland (1819)

Maryland attempted to tax the Second Bank of the United States, which was located in Maryland. Marshall ruled that a state could not tax a federal institution because “the power of tax is the power to destroy” and federal laws are supreme over state laws. Marshall also ruled that even though no clause in the Constitution specifically mentions a national bank, the Constitution gave the government the implied power to create one.

Cohens V. Virginia (1821)

A pair of brothers named Cohen were convicted in Virginia for illegally selling lottery tickets for a lottery authorized by Congress for Washington D.C. While Marshall and the court upheld the conviction, they established the principle that the Supreme Court could review a state courts decision involving any of the powers of the federal government.

Gibbons V. Ogden (1821)

Could the state of New York grant a monopoly to a steamboat company if that action conflicted with a charter authorized by Congress? In ruling that the New York Monopoly was unconstitutional, Marshall established the federal government’s broad control over interstate commerce.