Marbury v. Madison

John Adams attempted to appoint William Marbury as a Justice of Peace in D.C. in the "midnight appointments", but failed to do so before his presidency was over. As a federalist, John Adams attempted to appoint as many federalists to the cabinet of the United States President.
So, how did  Marbury v. Madison become to be? Well, an official appointment had to be made while the President's term was still active, but John Adams ' presidency ended before he could appoint Marbury. Expecting to be permitted as a Justice of Peace, Marbury assumed the role but was denied by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison; President and Secretary of State. They rejected the appointment by refusing to finalize the commission process.
Upset, Marbury brought the case to the Supreme Court. The Marbury v. Madison case was overseen by Chief Justice John Marshall. After the trial, Marshall said that article 3 of the Constitution  did not allow a branch of the government to force action on the part of another branch. John Marshall said that Marbury was eligible to the position of Justice of Peace, but the final decision belonged to Thomas Jefferson.

Dartmouth v. Woodward

In 1769 the King George III of England granted a charter to Dartmouth College. This document spelled out the purpose of the school, set up the structure to govern it, and gave land to the college. The state legislature of New Hampshire passed laws that revised the charter in 1816. These laws changed the school from private to public. They changed the duties of the trustees and how the trustees were selected.

The trustees filed a suit against the legislature. The trustees claimed that the legislature violated the Constitution. They argued that Article 1, Section 10, of the Constitution prevented a state from canceling a contract. The Court agreed with Dartmouth and it continued as a private college. Chief Justice Marshall said that the charter was a contract between the King and the trustees, and even though we were no longer a royal colony, the contract is still valid because the Constitution says that a state cannot pass laws to impair a contract.

This case was important because we know that the constitution does not allow a legislature to change the charter of a school, or anything for that matter, that is under a contract. Because of this we know what is protected by the "contract" clause of the Constitution.