Sure, here's an exam question for the topic of landmark Supreme Court cases:

Question:

In what ways did the landmark Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison (1803) establish the principle of judicial review and shape the balance of power among the branches of government in the United States? Provide a detailed explanation.

Answer:

Marbury v. Madison was a landmark Supreme Court case that had a significant impact on the balance of power among the branches of the United States government. The case arose from the political tensions between the outgoing Federalist administration of President John Adams and the incoming Democratic-Republican administration of President Thomas Jefferson.

In 1800, Adams had appointed William Marbury as a justice of the peace for the District of Columbia, but Marbury's commission was not delivered before Jefferson assumed office. The new Secretary of State, James Madison, refused to deliver the commission, prompting Marbury to file a lawsuit in the Supreme Court seeking a writ of mandamus to compel Madison to deliver the commission.

Chief Justice John Marshall, writing for the Court, ruled that Marbury was entitled to his commission but that the Court did not have the authority to issue a writ of mandamus in this case. This decision established the principle of judicial review, the power of the courts to declare acts of the legislative and executive branches unconstitutional. Marshall asserted that the Constitution was the supreme law of the land and that it was the role of the judiciary to interpret and uphold it. As a result, the Court assumed the power to review and invalidate laws passed by Congress if they were deemed to be in conflict with the Constitution.

The concept of judicial review, as established in Marbury v. Madison, significantly enhanced the Court's role as a check on the power of Congress and the President, contributing to the system of checks and balances among the three branches of government. It also fortified the independence of the judiciary as an equal branch of government, capable of safeguarding the fundamental principles enshrined in the Constitution.

Overall, Marbury v. Madison greatly impacted the balance of power among the branches of government by empowering the Supreme Court to review and potentially invalidate laws and executive actions, thereby influencing the trajectory of American constitutional law and governance.

This would be a considerable intermediate-level question because it requires students to demonstrate a detailed understanding of the case's significance and its impact on the separation of powers in the U.S. government.