- Some scholars have called it the most important case in the history of the Supreme Court. What started out as a minor matter about federal jobs turned into a legal decision that resonates to this day. You want legal drama? You've got it.

This is the story of Marbury versus Madison. In 1800, Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams in the presidential election. Just before he left office, Adams appointed a bunch of judges from his Federalist party to the District of Columbia courts. These appointments were approved by the Senate and signed by the president. Great, but there was a holdup. The last step before these judges could take office was a commission-- a formal piece of paper that said essentially this is their job and these guys are good to go.

These commissions haven't been delivered yet, which meant the judges couldn't start their jobs yet. And when President Jefferson took office in March of 1801, he said, not so fast on those commissions. He had his Secretary of State, James Madison, keep them from being delivered. One of those prospective judges was named William Marbury, a Federalist party member from Maryland. Marbury said, no fair, I want my judge job. And he brought the case to the Supreme Court.

Marbury wanted the court to issue a Writ of Mandamus. That's legalese for a court order. Marbury wanted the court to order Madison to show why he couldn't get his commission. In 1803, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, himself a Federalist appointed by John Adams, ruled on the case of Marbury versus Madison. He saw this as an opportunity to establish some important legal precedents-- decisions that extended way beyond whether or not Marbury got his job.

First, Marshall ruled that Marbury had the right to receive his commission. So that means I get my Judge job, right? Relax, Marbury. Marshall also ruled that Marbury had a right to remedy-- to have his wrong righted. OK, so I get my job, yeah? Not so-- relax, Marbury, chill out buddy. There was a third part to Marshall's decision and this is what made Marbury versus Madison so important. Marshall ruled that the Supreme Court didn't have the power to make Madison hand over Marbury's commission So wait, what?

In making his ruling, Justice Marshall had the court rule on itself. Marshall brought up the Judiciary Act of 1789. This was a law that gave the Supreme Court the power to rule in cases just like this. But Marshall ruled that section 13 of this law violated the Constitution because it gave the court powers the Constitution said it shouldn't have. Long story short, it wasn't the Supreme Court's place to rule in a decision like this.

In striking down the Judiciary Act of 1789, Marshall also struck a blow against the authority of Congress. The Constitution, as Marshall put it, was the supreme law of the land. Whenever Congress and the Constitution were in conflict, the Supreme Court would turn to the Constitution. This is called judicial review, and it's been an important function of the Supreme Court ever since.

In relinquishing the power it was granted in 1789, the Supreme Court defined its emerging role for the young nation. The court staked out it's claim as a branch of government equal to and independent of Congress and the executive branch, all that from a case about someone's paperwork not getting delivered.

- Young people in large numbers came out and joined what became known as the Red Guards. These largely terroristic organizations were used to publicly humiliate, assault, and, in some cases, even murder political enemies of Mao and the Communist Party.