ABSTRACT
John Marshall, the longest-serving chief justice of the US Supreme Court, is considered the most important jurist in American history. John Adams served as the major catalyst for Marshall's judicial career. Marshall's decision in Marbury v. Madison was significant because it created the concept of judicial review, the right of the judiciary to determine the constitutionality of the enactments and actions of federal government. Marshall's most direct influence on civil rights and civil liberties involved individual property rights, which he defended in some important cases by applying Contracts Clause of the Constitution. Marshall agreed that the New Hampshire legislature acted in an unconstitutional manner, and he extended the protections of Contracts Clause to corporate charters. Marshall again held property rights inviolate and found private entities exempt from state regulation. If only one of Marshall's decisions had to be selected for its influence on civil rights and civil liberties, Barron v. City of Baltimore, 32 US 243, would be the case.
