USA HISTORY

MAKING OF A NEW NATION 1776 1800

PRESIDENT JOHN ADAMS FROM ALIEN AND SEDITION ACTS TO XYZ AFFAIR

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
The first Chief Justice to say a law was unconstitutional was
A
John Adams
B
John Marshall
C
John Smith
D
Marshall Adams
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -“A Law repugnant to the Constitution is void.” With these words written by Chief Justice Marshall, the Supreme Court for the first time declared unconstitutional a law passed by Congress and signed by the President. Nothing stated in the Constitution gave the Court this specific power.

Detailed explanation-2: -He asserted the judiciary’s authority to expound the Constitution as paramount law and to hold the other branches accountable to that law. Second, Marshall interpreted the Constitution in ways that significantly enhanced the powers of the federal government.

Detailed explanation-3: -In 1800 President Adams appointed him Secretary of State, a position he would continue to hold in a limited capacity at the beginning of his tenure as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1801. John Marshall’s tenure on the Court can be divided into four phases.

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