Question

In 1–2 sentences, assess the Supreme Court decisions of Marbury v. Madison and McCulloch v. Maryland and the impact they had on understanding the Constitution.

Answer 1

Marbury v. Madison (1803) established judicial review, empowering the Supreme Court to declare legislative and executive acts unconstitutional and cementing the judiciary as a coequal interpreter of the Constitution. McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) affirmed Congress’s implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause and federal supremacy over the states (e.g., states cannot tax federal institutions), promoting a broad, flexible reading of the Constitution that expanded national authority.