In a time when few people considered Native Americans to be worthy of equal rights, Chief Justice John Marshall was willing to stand up for the Native Americans. In the Worcester v. Georgia case, the Cherokee asked the Supreme Court to stop the state of Georgia from enforcing its laws on the Cherokee's land. In 1832, Marshall ruled that the government of Georgia did not have the right to enforce its laws on Cherokee lands. This ruling allowed Cherokees to stay on their homeland. From the passage, one can see that Chief Justice John Marshall used his authority to