Blog 4

Marbury v. Madison: 1803:: Marbury was appointed to a government position by John Adams in his last hours as president, the appointments were approved by congress, but the forms had not been turned in yet. The next day Thomas Jefferson was sworn in as president, and told James Madison the new secretary of state to not turn in the forms because Jefferson viewed them as null and void in that they spilled over to his term. The supreme court ruled in favor of Marbury in a 4-0 vote, this court case established judicial review, and the power of the judicial branch.           

Plessy v. Ferguson: 1895:: In Louisiana a law required there to be separate rail cars for whites and blacks. Homer Plessy was a man who was seven eighths white, and sat down the the white car. He was asked to move to the black car, but refused and was promptly arrested. The supreme Court voted in favor of Ferguson 7-1 with one abstention. The cases set the precedent of “separate but equal” thus allowing racial segregation but both had to have equal public works. (eg: water fountains, restrooms)  

Schenck v. U.S.: 1918:: During the time of WW1, Schenck wrote to draftees that they should not submit to the government to be drafted, and that they should protest the conscription act. The court voted in favor of the U.S. with a vote of 9-0. The Ruling determined that things that can be deemed as non punishable during peace time can be punished during wartime. established differences during wartime vs. peacetime.