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Fighting for Justice, John Marshall (Bookshelf for Young Americans)
Fighting for Justice John Marshall - Bookshelf for Young Americans Author:Fred Cook One of the most important figures in the early days of our government was John Marshall, who served for thirty four years as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court - longer than any other man in the history of the country. Historians have claimed that Marshall's decisions in the early formative years of our government were as important in determini... more »ng the course of the United States as the Constitution itself.
One of Marshall's great decisions established the right of the Supreme Court to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. This decision has made it forever impossible for Congress to pass acts of oppression or to establish a tyranny. Other decisions which Marshall handed down established the rights of corporations and provided for free and unrestrained commerce between the states. In the famous Aaron Burr trial, Marshall ruled that no man could be declared a traitor simply because the government said he was.
The man who pronounced these historic principles was a jovial, likeable man who had almost no formal legal training. Nevertheless, he quickly built a reputation while still a young man as one of the foremost lawyers of the nation.« less