Before John Marshall, the Supreme Court was still finding its place in the new American government. By the time he was done, it had the power to declare laws unconstitutional, and entrepreneurs had the legal framework to build a nation. Marshall’s landmark decision in Marbury v. Madison established judicial review, forever changing the role of the Court. Yet beyond the bench, he was a man of simple pleasures, devoted to coits, wine, and his hero George Washington. Richard Brookhiser, author of John Marshall: The Man Who Made the Supreme Court, tells the story of the Chief Justice who defined the Court’s authority and left a lasting mark on U.S. history. We'd like to thank the U.S. National Archives for allowing us access to this audio.
