In episode twenty-one we will discuss the early years of the United States Supreme Court and the most influential Chief Justice in its history, John Marshall. We will examine in detail what is considered the most famous case in American legal history, Marbury v. Madison (1803). We will also explore the origins of judicial review, the power of the court to determine if a statute, case, or treaty comports with the Constitution. We will end with an examination of how Marshall and the United States Supreme Court were able influence nearly every important political issue of the first half of the nineteenth century.