“Despite his wrong position on slavery, John C. Calhoun was one of the more keen observers of government in the 19th century. Almost 200 years ago, he noted that the most significant flaw in our system of government was the Supreme Court. Among other things, he had no use for the 1803 Marbury v. Madison decision because he believed it granted excessive power to the Supreme Court.
“Even though the Constitution separated powers between the legislative, executive and judicial branches, Calhoun correctly foresaw the possibility of extreme ideologues on the court writing laws to suit their personal preferences rather than doing their sworn duty, which is interpreting the Constitution and the laws enacted by the legislature.”
John Fogle, Hendersonville (NC) Times/News March 5, 2016