In the presidential election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams to become the third president of the United States. The Judiciary Act of 1801 was passed, amending another law of 1789 that created ten district courts, six circuit courts, and the addition of judges in each circuit, giving the president the power to appoint federal judges. The case of Marbury v. Madison was a landmark case in 1803 in which the court formed the basis for the exercise of judicial review. This landmark decision defined the boundary between the distinct judicial and executive branches of the American form of government. The case of Marbury v. Madison of 1803 played a key role in making the Supreme Court a separate branch of government. There were commissions that Thomas Jefferson did not deliver and ordered his Secretary of State James Madison not to deliver them. On the other hand, William Marbury asked the Supreme Court for a legal order for Madison to explain why he should not receive a commission. In resolving the case, Chief Justice Marshall answered certain questions based on the fact that Marbury had...