The 1803 ruling in Marburg v. Madison affected the balance of power on federal government by giving the judiciary a way to

In 1803's Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court articulated for the first time the doctrine of judicial review.

With the doctrine of judicial review, the Supreme Court now had a tool to make themselves a co-equal branch with the legislative and executive branch in that it enabled it to review the actions of the legislative and executive branch to determine whether or not they acted appropriately in regards to the Constitution.