What does it mean for a supreme court decision to serve as a precedent

A case serving as precedential means that Judges in later cases use that case as the bench mark for how to rule on a particular issue.

So, Marbury v. Madison stands for notion that the Judiciary can review the actions of the legislative and executive branch to determine constitutionality. Later courts would cite Marbury v. Madison as precedent in cases that involved judicial review of legislative action.

In legal systems based on common law, a precedent, or authority, is a principle or rule established in a previous legal case that is either binding on or persuasive for a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts. Get Plus to unlock all answers. Fast, ad-free and uninterrupted!

it was douglas macarthur..