The acme of judicial distinction means the ability to look a lawyer straight in the eyes for two hours and not hear a damned word he says.
John MarshallThe most lively fancy aided by the strongest description cannot equal the reality of the opera.
John MarshallA corporation is an artificial being, invisible, intangible, and existing only in contemplation of law.
John MarshallIn a free government almost all other rights would become worthless if the government possessed power over the private fortune of every citizen.
John MarshallIt is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is...If two laws conflict with each other, the courts must decide on the operation of each...This is of the very essence of judicial duty.
John MarshallNo principle of general law is more universally acknowledged, than the perfect equality of nations. Russia and Geneva have equal rights. It results from this equality, that no one can rightfully impose a rule on another....As no nation can prescribe a rule for others, none can make a law of nations.
John Marshall