Reorganization Of The Federal Judiciary

Considers legislation to increase number of Supreme Court justices and other Federal courts judgeships.

Complete reprint of the sole edition. Includes the Adverse Report, and Hearings, Part 1 to 6. This set of hearing transcripts and the texts of supporting documents chronicles the history of Franklin D. Roosevelt's court-packing plan and its defeat in the United States Senate. Angered by the Court's hostility to legislation relating to the New Deal, Roosevelt proposed a bill to expand the membership of the court on February 5, 1937. Presented as a way to increase efficiency, it was intended to create seats for justices who would support the New Deal. The resulting struggle was a critical episode in Roosevelt's presidency and one of the nastiest clashes between the executive and judiciary in American history. Roosevelt's plan failed, but the debate had a profound effect on the Court's attitude toward the New Deal, which lead many to believe that the president was ultimately successful.