2. Who is John Marshall? What important decisions did John Marshall make?

Marshall served on the Supreme Court up until his death in 1835. He is widely considered the most important and influential Supreme Court justice in U. S. history. His rulings changed the way the Supreme Court worked and established it as an equal third branch of the government.

A Federalist Stronghold: John Marshall's Supreme Court. Marbury v. Madison was one of the most important decisions in U. S. judicial history, because it legitimized the ability of the Supreme Court to judge the consitutionality of acts of the president or Congress.