1.41: Topics in History #3: Judicial Review

The Supreme Court wasn’t always the powerful third branch of government it is today. In the Courts early years, individuals rarely wanted to serve on the Court, and the institution itself had vague, Ill-defined powers. It wasn’t until the appointment of John Marshall as Chief Justice in 1801 that the Courts power and role as the final arbiter of constitutional questions began, and the concept of judicial review was established.