Why did the US Supreme Court agree to hear Marbury v. Madison?
Agreeing to hear the case also gave the Court an opportunity to declare Section 13 of the Judiciary Act unconstitutional, because Congress had overreached its authority by assigning the Court original jurisdiction over something not specifically prescribed by the Constitution. This validated the Court’s right of judicial review (the ability to analyze laws in terms of adherence to the Constitution, and nullify legislation that doesn’t conform), thus strengthening the Judicial branch and making it more equal to the other two branches of government.
