Timeline February 1803

Events in February 1803 2

• 1803 Marbury v. Madison decided US Supreme Court establishes judicial review The US Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Marshall, ruled that it could strike down laws conflicting with the Constitution. The decision established the principle of judicial review, giving American courts the power to invalidate acts of Congress and the executive. It remains a foundational precedent in US constitutional law.
• 1803 Reichsdeputationshauptschluss reorganizes the Holy Roman Empire Imperial Diet secularizes and redistributes dozens of German states The Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire approved a sweeping reorganization that abolished nearly all ecclesiastical states and free imperial cities, redistributing their territory to compensate princes for losses west of the Rhine. The settlement eliminated more than a hundred small political entities. It was one of the last major acts of the Holy Roman Empire before its dissolution in 1806.