February 5, 1937 - FDR Announces Plan to Expand Supreme Court
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt unveils his plan to reorganize the Supreme Court by increasing the number of Justices. Under the proposed bill, the President would have the authority to add one Justice to the Court (up to 15 total) for each Justice over the age of 70 who declined to retire. The proposed bill is met with serious political opposition. A scaled-down plan applying only to the lower federal courts and including no provision for the addition of Supreme Court Justices will be passed by Congress as the Judicial Procedure Reform Act of 1937.
Related resources:
- Audio: The Future of the Supreme Court (Justice Talking)
- Roosevelt Asks Power to Reform Courts (NY Times Archives)
- U.S. Supreme Court Center (FindLaw)
