John Marshall (September 24, 1755 – July 6, 1835) was an American statesman and jurist who shaped American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court a center of power. Marshall was the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, serving from February 4, 1801 until his death in 1835. He served in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1799 to June 7, 1800, and, under President John Adams, was Secretary of State from June 6, 1800 to March 4, 1801. Marshall was a native of the Commonwealth of Virginia and a leader of the Federalist Party.
The longest serving Chief Justice in Supreme Court history, Marshall dominated the Court for over three decades and played a significant role in the development of the American legal system. Most notably, he established that the courts are entitled to exercise judicial review, the power to strike down laws that violate the Constitution. Thus, Marshall has been credited with cementing the position of the judiciary as an independent and influential branch of government. Furthermore, Marshall made several important decisions relating to Federalism, shaping the balance of power between the federal government and the states during the early years of the republic. In particular, he repeatedly confirmed the supremacy of federal law over state law, and supported an expansive reading of the enumerated powers.
A more important fact than all of this other information is that John Marshall is my great, great uncle and the reason that my name is Marshall; my cousin’s middle name is Marshall, that my uncle’s name and my granddads names are John Marshall. Family history is cool kids!
2 comments:
How come I've known you for 13 years and this is the first time I've heard that? You really are a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. :)
Nice work on the fact-of-the-day front. Unlike your artificial friend Aaron, I have known about your connection to John Marshall for quite some time.
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