2015
This Week in History: Landmark Case Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Kelly Landers / 0 Comments /West Palm Beach criminal defense lawyer Kelly V. Landers recalls events of significance that occurred this week in history.
On February 22, 1732 George Washington was born.
On February 23, 1840, two U.S. Naval officers filed a salvage suit claiming the right to the schooner La Amistad and it’s cargo, 53 slaves. Former President John Quincy Adams argued the slaves’ right to mutiny.
On February 24, 1803, Marbury v. Madison established the basis of authority for judicial review — the power of federal courts to void acts of Congress in conflict with the Constitution — under Article III. This was the first time the Supreme Court struck down a law because it was unconstitutional. It was the beginning of the practice of “judicial review.” Since Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court has been the final arbiter of the constitutionality of congressional legislation.*
On February 26, 1993 a truck bomb exploded in the parking garage of the World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring 1,042.
On February 27, 1973 The American Indian Movement took over Wounded Knee, South Dakota, leading to a 71-day standoff.
On February 28, 1993 U.S. Federal agents attempted to raid the Waco, Texas compound of the Branch Davidian church, leading to a 51-day standoff.
Quote: If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.
Have a great week!
Photo of the Week:
On Feb. 23, 1945, 33-year-old Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal, who had been rejected from the Army because of poor eyesight, took a photograph that would ultimately become one of the most recognizable and reproduced images in history. Photo by Joe Rosenthal, Associated Press
*Sources: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/democracy/landmark_marbury.html; http://www.history.com/topics/marbury-v-madison
