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Difficulty: MediumThe Marshall Court and Judicial Nationalism

The Constitution of the United States was ordained and established, not by the states in their sovereign capacities, but emphatically, as the preamble of the Constitution declares, by 'the People of the United States.'... [The] Constitution was not designed for a day, but to endure through a long lapse of ages, the events of which were locked up in the inscrutable purposes of Providence. It was to be modified by the people, in the manner prescribed in the instrument itself, and not by the states, who have no right to interpret it at their pleasure.

— Justice Joseph Story, opinion of the Court in Martin v. Hunter’s Lessee (1816)

Based on the excerpt, which of the following best describes the principal effect of the judicial philosophy of the Marshall Court era?

  1. A
    The devolution of judicial review power to state legislatures to resolve constitutional disputes
  2. The consolidation of federal supremacy over state laws and state court decisionsAnswer
  3. C
    The reconciliation of Federalist and Democratic-Republican views on the necessity of a strict construction of the Constitution
  4. D
    The protection of localized economic monopolies by prioritizing state-level regulation over national market integration

Answer

The consolidation of federal supremacy over state laws and state court decisions
The correct answer is correct because the excerpt emphasizes that the Constitution was created by the American people as a whole, not by sovereign states, thereby rejecting the compact theory of the Union. By stating that states have no right to interpret the Constitution at their pleasure, the ruling directly supported the Marshall Court's goal of establishing federal supremacy over state legislation and state court decisions.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus document for its main argument.
Justice Joseph Story argues that the Constitution was established by 'the People of the United States' rather than sovereign states, meaning states do not have the final authority to interpret or modify it.
This establishes the constitutional basis of federal supremacy and rejects the compact theory of the Union.
2
Contextualize the document within the Marshall Court era.
The Marshall Court consistently ruled to expand the authority of the federal government and establish the Supreme Court as the ultimate arbiter of constitutional questions.
This aligns the ruling in Martin v. Hunter's Lessee with the broader trend of judicial nationalism.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the historical trend that aligns with the analysis.
The option concerning the consolidation of federal supremacy over state laws directly reflects the impact of this judicial nationalism.
By asserting control over state court interpretations of federal issues, the federal judiciary solidified national supremacy.

Key Concept

Federal supremacy and judicial nationalism under the Marshall Court
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

The Marshall Court and Judicial Nationalism

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