Marbury v.

Madison Homework, due 4/21/22

US Government, Mr. Legg

Overview the famous 1801 case of Marbury v. Madison and explain the roles of each major
political figure involved and determine if the case should be regarded as important or not.

Why did you select this assignment as a showcase piece?

This was a major assignment in Gov. class and I am happy with how it turned out. This
assignment required a lot of time and digging to answer each question, as well as just to
understand the complexity of the case at hand.

What did you learn by completing this assignment?

I learned more about how the justice system works, specifically the ideas of precedent, Writs of
Mandamus, and the power of the Supreme Court. Additionally, the 20th amendment, which most
of the class found irrelevant during the last assignment, played a big role in this case and this
assignment serves as a memorable example of how important inauguration day is (the 20th
amendment pertains to this). The main idea, however, is judicial review, the idea that the
Supreme Court can review and change the actions of the legislative and executive branches.
Furthermore, this idea was solidified in this case, and judicial review has been legal precedent
ever since, making the case one of the most important ever.

In the future, how will you be able to use the knowledge, skill, or experience you gained by
completing this activity?

I can use this knowledge to interpret the actions of our executive, legislative, and judicial
branches and their ramifications, such as if a Writ of Mandamus is invoked and the difference
between original and appellate jurisdiction. The ideas of judicial review and precedent, in
general, are also simply just fundamental knowledge in understanding the judicial process at
every level of court.

Evaluate your performance

I would give myself a 3.5. I did a thorough job of researching, gathering background
understanding, and confirming facts. However, I think I could have gone the extra mile and fully
read an academic paper on the case and got a more nuanced understanding.
Evaluate your product

I would give myself a 3.5. I think I covered each base of the assignment to a good extent, except
I think I could have done a better job arguing the importance and historical ramifications of the
case.

What would you have done differently if you had time to complete this work again?

I would have done the assignment in one more session, so as to focus more on the extra
important questions in the assignment and read an academic paper on the case.

What have you learned from this experience/activity/reflection?

I learned that using Youtube as a summary resource can be very useful and that if I want to go
the extra mile for a full understanding next time, I should seek higher-level sources such as
academic papers.