Early in its history, in Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137 (1803) and Fletcher v. Peck, 10 U.S. 87 (1810), the Supreme Court of the United States declared that the judicial power granted to it by Article III of the United States Constitution included the power of judicial review, to consider challenges to the constitutionality of a State or Federal law.Marbury V. Madison. Ed. U.S. 5 Vol.137, 1803. Print.Fletcher V. Peck. Ed. U.S. 10 Vol. 87, 1810. Print. The holding in these cases empowered the Supreme Court to strike down enacted laws that were contrary to the Constitution.Jr., Dean. "Marbury V. Madison." American Governance. Ed. Stephen Schechter. New York City, New York, USA: Macmillan US, 2016. Web. In this role, for example, the Court has struck down state laws for failing to conform to the Contract Clause (see, e.g., Dartmouth College v. Woodward), the Equal Protection Clause (see, e.g., Brown v. Board of Education), or the Commerce Clause of the Constitution (see, e.g., United States v. Lopez).Reifman, Alan, and Brian L. Cutler. "U.S. Supreme Court." Encyclopedia of Psychology and Law. Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: Sage Publications, 2008. Web.Patten, Van, and James J. Van Patten. "Trustees of Dartmouth College V. Woodward." Encyclopedia of Law and Higher Education. Ed. Charles J. Russo. Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: Sage Publications, 2009. Web."Brown V. Board of Education." Great American Court Cases, Gale. Eds. L. Mpho Mabunda, Allison McClintic Marion, and Mark F. Mikula. Farmington, MI, USA: Gale, 1999. Web.Anderson, Jon, and Charles J. Russo. "United States V. Lopez." Encyclopedia of Education Law. Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: Sage Publications, 2008. Web.
