What role did James Madison play in the Marbury case?

• A. He wrote the majority opinion
• B. He delivered the commissions
• C. He refused to deliver commissions
• D. He argued the case before the Supreme Court

Answer: (C)

Madison, as Secretary of State, refused to deliver the commissions. After Adams’s midnight appointments, Marbury’s commission had been signed but not delivered, and it was Madison who would withhold delivery, preventing Marbury from taking office. This act created the dispute that went to the Supreme Court, where the court’s decision addressed not only the immediate request for the commission but also the limits of the Court’s power. So the key role is that Madison blocked the delivery of the commissions, triggering the case.