John Marshall: The Farmer’s Son Who Became America’s Greatest Chief Justice

On this episode of Our American Stories, before John Marshall, the Supreme Court was still finding its place in the new American government. By the time he was done, it had the power to declare laws unconstitutional, and entrepreneurs had the legal framework to build a nation. Marshall’s landmark decision in Marbury v. Madison established judicial review, forever changing the role of the Court. Beyond the bench, he was a man of simple pleasures, devoted to quoits, wine, and his hero George Washington. Richard Brookhiser, author of John Marshall: The Man Who Made the Supreme Court, shares the story of the Chief Justice who defined the Court’s authority and left a lasting mark on U.S. history. We'd like to thank the U.S. National Archives for allowing us access to this audio. 

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