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The very essence of civil liberty certainly consists in the right of every individual to claim the protection of the laws whenever he receives an injury. One of the first duties of government is to afford that protection.

— John Marshall Marbury v. Madison (1803)

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More quotes by John Marshall

Seldom has a battle, in which greater numbers were not engaged, been so important in its consequences as that of Cowpens..

A constitution is framed for ages to come, and is designed to approach immortality as nearly as human institutions can approach it.

The people made the Constitution, and the people can unmake it. It is the creature of their own will, and lives only by their will.

We must never forget that it is a constitution we are expounding.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

The subject is the execution of those great powers on which the welfare of a Nation essentially depends.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: John Marshall (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.