WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens will moderate a discussion on the crucial 1803 case of Marbury v. Madison at the Newseum in Washington on Feb. 26.

Stevens will lead a discussion by the authors of a new book about the early history of the Supreme Court, Cliff Sloan and David McKean. Their book, The Great Decision: Jefferson, Adams, Marshall, and the Battle for the Supreme Court, is to be published March 2.

The discussion will center on the court case that established a judicial right to review whether legislation is constitutional.

The event, which is open to the public, will take place at 3 p.m. at 555 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., in the Knight Conference Center on the seventh floor. (Use the Sixth Street entrance.) Those wishing to attend must RSVP to Ashlie Hampton by Feb. 20 via ahampton@freedomforum.org or 202/292-6288.

Sloan, former publisher of Slate magazine, is a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in Washington. McKean is a top-level Senate aide, having formerly served as chief of staff to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

The program is sponsored by the Supreme Court Fellows Program Alumni Association and the First Amendment Center.

Ron Collins, a scholar at the First Amendment Center and president of the Supreme Court Fellows Alumni Association, said, “We are honored that Justice Stevens has kindly agreed to participate in a public dialogue. The center is delighted to host this event, and we look forward to future collaborations between the center and the alumni association.”

The Supreme Court Fellows Program gives mid-career professionals a chance to participate in the administration of justice at the national level. Since the program began in 1973, Fellows have worked at the Supreme Court, Federal Judicial Center, Administrative Office of the United States Courts, and United States Sentencing Commission. See www.fellows.supremecourtus.gov.

The First Amendment Center works to preserve and protect First Amendment freedoms through information and education. The center serves as a forum for the study and exploration of free-expression issues, including freedom of speech, of the press and of religion, and the rights to assemble and to petition the government. It is nonpartisan and neither litigates nor lobbies.

The First Amendment Center, with offices at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and Washington, D.C., is an operating program of the Freedom Forum and is associated with the Newseum and the Diversity Institute. Its affiliation with Vanderbilt University is through the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies. Its offices on the Vanderbilt campus are located in the John Seigenthaler Center.