Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus during the war was ruled unconstitutional in which case?

• A. Dred Scott v. Sandford
• B. Marbury v. Madison
• C. Brown v. Board of Education
• D. Ex Parte Merryman (1861)

Answer: (D)

The main idea is who has the power to suspend habeas corpus and how wartime emergency powers are divided between Congress and the President. In Ex parte Merryman (1861), the federal circuit court, with Taney presiding, held that suspending habeas corpus is a congressional power, not something the President can do unilaterally. This ruling argued that the Constitution places the authority to suspend the writ in Congress, so Lincoln’s action to suspend it during the Civil War overstepped the constitutional boundary without explicit legislative authorization. The case is famous because it challenged executive wartime actions and highlighted the checks and balances between the presidency and Congress, even though it wasn’t a Supreme Court decision that could be enforced nationwide.

As context, other listed cases deal with different issues: Dred Scott centers on slavery and citizenship, Marbury v. Madison establishes judicial review, and Brown v. Board of Education concerns desegregation.