Supreme Court, U.S.

Background

Established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, the Supreme Court first heard cases in the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City, where the federal government was situated at the time. When the U.S. Capitol was moved to Philadelphia in 1790, the Supreme Court moved there as well. Until the establishment of Washington, D.C., as the nation's capital in 1800, the Supreme Court heard cases in Independence Hall and other Philadelphia locations. After 1800, the Supreme Court relocated with the rest of the federal government to the new capital city, taking up its home in a variety of spaces located within the Capitol Building, where it remained for over a century. Initially situated in what is now known as the Old Supreme Court Chamber, after 1860 the court moved to what is now known as the Old Senate Chamber, which was larger and more conveniently located.

Through the work of Chief Justice William Howard Taft, sentiment began to build for the Supreme Court to have its own building, one that was separate from the Capitol. This desire for a new building was in part caused by a need to recognize the court's independence as well as a desire for more space. Taft was successful in persuading Congress to approve a new building for the court in 1929.

The Supreme Court's Influence

Although John Marshall was also considered a founding father, his background in the Virginia House of Delegates provided him with a uniquely different perspective from his predecessors as the Supreme Court's chief justice. Appointed to the Supreme Court in the waning days of John Adams's presidency, Marshall was confirmed by the Senate on January 27, 1801, and received his commission one week later.

Marshall greatly expanded the power of the judiciary with a handful of influential cases, such as Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137 (1803). Marbury v. Madison established the principle of judicial review in the United States, namely holding that the Supreme Court could overturn a law passed by the Congress as unconstitutional. In Marbury and other related decisions, Marshall and his colleagues established the Supreme Court as the ultimate arbiter of whether a governmental act or a law was constitutional or not. Marshall also changed the method in which the Supreme Court delivers opinions, establishing the practice of delivering a single opinion, thus enabling the court to present unambiguous rulings that could be used as precedent by lower courts. The Marshall court's decisions concerning the constitutionality of both federal and state laws and actions were important to all who formulated laws, devised policy, or tried cases. The single opinions of the majority of the justices provided direction to those working on such matters, and the market for published opinions grew rapidly. At the time of his death in 1835, Marshall had served as chief justice for 34 years and had irreversibly changed the Supreme Court.

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