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.