Ignoring the bitter lessons of 1937, some modern-day liberals are pushing to expand the size of the Supreme Court again.
By Gillian Brockell Gillian Brockell Staff writer for Retropolis Email Bio Follow March 12 at 1:45 PM George Washington had six. Abraham Lincoln had 10. And Franklin D. Roosevelt, who has the distinction of being elected to more terms than any other president, wanted 15. Supreme Court justices, to be exact.
The front page of The Washington Post after the Supreme Court struck down three New Deal measures in one day. At the time, Democrats controlled the House, Senate and White House, but the court, led by Chief Justice Charles E. Hughes, was a Republican and 75 years old. Because of a New Deal cut in Supreme Court pensions, the older justices were disinclined to retire.And then they kept voting against the New Deal.
Washington Post columnist Franklyn Waltman didn’t buy it, writing, “Mr. Roosevelt’s real objective is to make the Supreme Court amenable to his will, either by forcing from that tribunal some of those who have disagreed with him, or by permitting him to offset their votes with men of his own choosing.”[Private world of Franklin D. Roosevelt unveiled in newly found film footage]
Meanwhile, on March 29, 1937, the court handed down three more decisions, this time favorable to the New Deal. It seemed like a win for Roosevelt, but it undercut his argument for packing the court. It was further undercut in May when one of the justices announced his retirement, on the same day the bill finally left committee with an “adverse” vote.
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