In the history of American Law, John Marshall remains one of the most influential chief justices. He was the fourth and longest-serving chief justice in the US Supreme Court from 1801-1835. According to expert commentators, John Marshall was the greatest Supreme Court justice of all time where he dominated the court and played a major role in the evolution of the American constitutional law
The Greatest Supreme Court Justice
John Marshall’s definition on the absolute role of the Court as a coequal branch of the United States government along with his declaration on the rights of the Supreme Court’s judicial review, created an equal distribution of power between the states and the federal government. His practice of judicial review was conservative aimed to deter the states from establishing a stronger government while weakening the power of the national government. One of his significant court decisions is the Madbury v. Madison case in which the Supreme Court declared a provision of the Judiciary Act of 1789 null and void due to constitutional violations in the attempt to extend the original governance of the Supreme Court. The Marshall court ruled this as unconstitutional act of Congress, thus, encouraging the policy of judicial review. He ratified the federal law’s supreme power over state law where he created the third branch of the federal government and compounded its power for the welfare of the Constitution and the rule of law. Marshall believed that the Constitution is a supreme law and that the Court should defend the Constitution over any specific law that violates it
Marshall has the ability to unite men together through his appealing personality, great humor and quick intelligence. His influential rulings were based on skillful and efficient opinions and highly persuasive arguments which promoted unification of constitutional principles of law and the fundamental principles of federal power which has endured until today. His heroic decisions in line with his vision for a great nation made a remarkable and lasting impression that made him the greatest chief justice of all time.
The Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
The Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1868 and since then, it has had a broad and deepening cultural and social effect on the laws of the United States. The Fourteenth Amendment grants citizenship to any person born or naturalized in the United States including former slaves who were recently freed. This law gave a sense of hope and freedom to non-white people in America particularly the African-Americans and the Native Americans during the mid 1800’s. Furthermore, it forbids any states from denying any person of his or her natural rights, life, liberty and property without due process of law or to deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of its laws regardless of race, religion, sex and social or sexual preference. This provided the same civil rights for every citizen in the United States wherein it is unconstitutional for any states to enforce any law that deprive the rights and freedoms of any individual. Equal protection includes eliminating discrimination by administering the right to vote, school desegregation and the rights of immigrants to attend government schools as well as employment opportunities for women and the minorities. The Fourteenth Amendment is considered to be the most essential element of the Constitution because it covers the Bill of Rights protection against any state, bearing positive factors concerning citizenship, equal rights and equal representation in congress. It is the main source of strength on all laws pertaining to sanction, the fight against segregation and crimes on aggression and discrimination. Without the presence of the Fourteenth Amendment in the U.S. Constitution, there would be no basis for citizenship and civil rights regulation. The Blacks would still remain to be isolated from the Whites which could also affect other races such as the Latinos and the Asians. Without the Fourteenth Amendment, we would not be enjoying our most essential and fundamental human rights and privileges in which we will be losing our freedom of speech or the rights of expression, freedom of religion, freedom to choose as well as our political rights and natural justice.
. Works Cited:
“The Annenberg Guide to the United States Constitution: What It Says, What It Means”. Annenberg Classroom. Web. July 9, 2013.
http://www.annenbergclassroom.org/page/a-guide-to-the-united-states-constitution
