Supreme Court Cases: John Marshall

Although state laws are important, federal power was more essential for the Supreme Court decisions and the establishment of the primacy of the judiciary in determining the meaning of the Constitution. John Marshall was one of the most influential Supreme Court Chief of Justices in American history. He leaned towards Federalist views and favored a strong government, but most importantly, he established that the Judicial system held a final say whether an issue was constitutional and supported the sovereignty of federal power over state laws. In most of his cases, John Marshall asserted that Federal laws surpass state laws and claimed that the judiciary system of the Supreme Court had the power to state whether the acts of Congress were constitutional. …show more content…
In Worcester v. Georgia, Worcester claimed that his tribe, the Cherokees, were being forcely removed and that the state of Georgia was violating his constitutional rights. Marshal believed that the state of Georgia didn’t have the power to enforce laws in lands that weren’t under their jurisdiction. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Worcester and decided that the constitution acknowledged the Cherokee tribes rights and that they were entitled to federal protection from the state powers. In Dartmouth College vs. Woodward, Woodward and the New Hampshire legislature wanted to turn Dartmouth College, a private school, into a state school. By doing this, they were also changing the duties of the trustees and were appointing them to the governor. Believing that Worcester was violating the Constitution, the trustees of Dartmouth College filed suit. The Supreme Court agreed with Dartmouth College and Marshall declared that the Dartmouth College's charter, that had been granted by King George, was still valid and constitutional, since the Constitution prohibits states from passing laws to impair