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Article: Marbury v. Madison: a landmark decision made 200 years ago changed the Supreme Court forever. (American History).
- Article from:
- Junior Scholastic
- Article date:
- January 24, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Scholastic, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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On the cold, rainy morning of March 4, 1801, Chief Justice John Marshall administered the oath of office to Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the U.S.
Jefferson and Marshall were cousins who had grown up together in Virginia. Both had shown an early interest in the law, and both became leading statesmen and politicians.
The two men even looked alike: Each was over six feet tall, had piercing black eyes, and wore rumpled, ill-fitted clothes. Yet, they were neither friends nor political allies. In fact, they hated each other.
In a letter to a friend, Marshall described Jefferson as "overly ambitious" and "untrustworthy." Jefferson, in ...