To celebrate publication of their new book on the 1803 Supreme Court decision Marbury v. Madison—which established the principle of judicial review for the nation’s court system—Washington lawyer Cliff Sloan and biographer David McKean booked a party at the Ukrainian Embassy in Georgetown.
The site at 3350 M Street was chosen for more than its pierogis. In 1800, William Marbury, the plaintiff in the lawsuit and one of the protagonists in Sloan and McKean’s The Great Decision: Jefferson, Adams, Marshall and the Battle for the Supreme Court, bought the house—where George Washington verifiably dined on March 29, 1791—for $5,850. It remained in the Marbury family for nearly 100 years before passing to other owners and eventually being sold to the Ukrainian government in 1992.
Ben Bradlee, former executive editor of the Washington Post, stated what many potential readers were thinking: “I studied this case in school some 70 years ago. Until now, I never knew what the hell it was about.”
This article first appeared in the April 2009 issue of The Washingtonian. For more articles from that issue, click here.
History Lived Here
To celebrate publication of their new book on the 1803 Supreme Court decision Marbury v. Madison—which established the principle of judicial review for the nation’s court system—Washington lawyer Cliff Sloan and biographer David McKean booked a party at the Ukrainian Embassy in Georgetown.
The site at 3350 M Street was chosen for more than its pierogis. In 1800, William Marbury, the plaintiff in the lawsuit and one of the protagonists in Sloan and McKean’s The Great Decision: Jefferson, Adams, Marshall and the Battle for the Supreme Court, bought the house—where George Washington verifiably dined on March 29, 1791—for $5,850. It remained in the Marbury family for nearly 100 years before passing to other owners and eventually being sold to the Ukrainian government in 1992.
Ben Bradlee, former executive editor of the Washington Post, stated what many potential readers were thinking: “I studied this case in school some 70 years ago. Until now, I never knew what the hell it was about.”
This article first appeared in the April 2009 issue of The Washingtonian. For more articles from that issue, click here.
More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Society Photos
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
Meet the 2023 Washingtonians of the Year
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Washingtonian Magazine
April 2024: Great Places to Live
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
Did Eugene Vindman Pose With a Confederate Flag?
Want to See Caitlin Clark Play in DC? Prepare to Shell Out Some $$$.
Hozier and Laufey Will Headline This Year’s All Things Go Festival
Move Over, Pennsylvania Avenue: Study Says Wharf Area Is DC’s Priciest Real Estate
DC Cyclists Aren’t Giving Up on Connecticut Avenue Bike Lanes
Why DC Has 37 Historic Districts—and the Fight Over Adding a New One
Carlos Lozada Thinks You Should Care About Political Memoirs
DC Band White Ford Bronco Weighs In on O.J. Simpson’s Death