This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.

1. 1. Marbury V. Madison

   

   This landmark early Supreme Court opinion arose when a disappointed appointee sought a court order to compel delivery of his commission; the Court held that while the appointee had a right to the commission, the statute purporting to expand the Court’s original jurisdiction to issue writs of mandamus conflicted with the Constitution and therefore was void. By asserting the power to review and invalidate congressional acts that contravene the Constitution, the decision established judicial review and affirmed the judiciary as a coequal branch with authority to interpret constitutional limits, reshaping the balance of power among the branches of the United States government.