Marbury v. Madison (1803) was a landmark case in the United States that established the principle of judicial review. The case arose when William Marbury, one of several "midnight judges" appointed by President John Adams in the last days of his administration, sued Secretary of State James Madison for failing to deliver Marbury's commission to serve as a justice of the peace.

Chief Justice John Marshall, writing for the Supreme Court, ruled that Marbury had a legal right to his commission, but the court lacked the power to force Madison to deliver it. Marshall reasoned that the law that gave the court the power to hear Marbury's case was itself unconstitutional, because it expanded the court's jurisdiction beyond what the Constitution allowed. Thus, Marshall established the principle that the Supreme Court had the power to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional, a power known as judicial review.