Who was the fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and is considered the founder of our system of constitutional law?

• A. John Marshall
• B. Oliver Wendell Holmes
• C. Rodger Taney
• D. Earl Warren

Answer: (A)

John Marshall is the person who helped shape and fix how the Constitution is interpreted in the United States. He served as the fourth Chief Justice, from 1801 to 1835, and his opinions created a durable framework for constitutional law. The most famous move is establishing judicial review in Marbury v. Madison, which gave the courts the power to strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution. He also reinforced federal supremacy over the states in McCulloch v. Maryland and reinforced federal authority in interstate commerce in Gibbons v. Ogden. Taken together, these decisions laid the pattern for how constitutional questions are resolved and how the national government and the states relate, which is why he’s regarded as the founder of our system of constitutional law. Other chief justices like Roger Taney and Earl Warren led important eras, and Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. was a key jurist, but Marshall’s work established the persistent framework.