The Logic of Collective Action

"Even if the member of a large group were to neglect his own interests entirely, he still would not rationally contribute toward the provision of any collective or public good, since his own contribution would not be perceptible."

If a member of a large group completely ignores his or her interests, and doesn't partake in their group's decision making process, that member is less likely to show reasonable involvement towards the outcome, as that member's efforts, or lack thereof, would've (supposedly) gone unnoticed either way.

I chose this quote because I find it shameful that there are such selfish members who don't care to contribute  and play an active role in their group's decisions simply because they had no interest to begin with. Such members should have their memberships revoked immediately, and should be considered the weak links or dead weight.

Marbury v. Madison

"The commissions were signed by President Adams and sealed by acting Secretary of State John Marshall (who later became Chief of Justice of the Supreme Court and author of this opinion), but they were not delivered before the expiration of Adams's term as president." 

After further "judicial review", a decision was made to deny Marbury's writ of mandamus because it was deemed unconstitutional (Marshall). According to article 3 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court does not have authority to issue writs, nor does Congress have authority to add on to the Supreme Court's original jurisdiction (Marshall). 

I chose the Marbury v. Madison case because of the influence it had other court cases that followed. Through the "judicial review" process, this case paved the way for other important issues such as freedom of speech and civil rights to get the necessary attention and representation that they deserved.