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Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed eight justices to the US Supreme Court.
If Roosevelt's draft legislation had passed Congress, he would have been able to appoint one additional justice for each sitting justice over the age of 70.5, up to a maximum of six, for a potential total Court size of 15. The Legislative branch has the constitutional authority to determine the size of the Supreme Court, however, and correctly recognized Roosevelt's plan as an attempt to pack the Court with justices favorable to his New Deal legislation.
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ProfessorNo president has yet made more nominations or appointments to the Supreme Court than George Washington (who was starting from scratch). 10 of Washington's 14 nominations were ultimately confirmed.
It's a little tricky, though, because those 14 nominations only represent 11 actual people. Washington nominated one person, withdrew the nomination, then nominated him again a few days later (whereupon he was confirmed). Also, two of the nominations were already serving on the court when Washington nominated them to replace the Chief Justice; one was rejected by the senate and one declined the nomination. So Washington nominated 11 Justices total, of whom 10 were confirmed by the senate.
John Rutlege was an interesting case: When Washington nominated him as one of the original associate Justices, the Senate confirmed the appointment, but he resigned six months later to serve on a South Carolina court instead. When John Jay died, Washingon appointed Rutledge Chief Justice until the Senate resumed session. However, a month after this appointment, Rutledge made a speech containing some scathing remarks about the Jay Treaty with Great Britain. The treaty was supported by both the Administration and the Senate, so his condemnation of it was highly controversial. When the time came for his confirmation, he was rejected by a vote of 14-10.
The only president who's even come close to Washington's record of 11 nominations and 10 confirmations was Franklin Roosevelt, who managed 9 for 9. John Tyler also made 9 nominations (with only 5 actual people involved; two of them were nominated twice, and one was nominated 3 times), but only one of them was ever confirmed by the senate.
If you're getting the feeling that Tyler was not well-liked by the Senate ... well, you'd be right; the Whigs controlled the Senate, and they figured they could wait out "His Accidency" and then confirm the appointments made by his successor, whom they expected would be Henry Clay (it wasn't). It reportedly surprised everyone, including Tyler, when one of his nominations was finally confirmed (he eventually nominated someone the Whigs could stand instead of sending them the same people over and over).
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Can US Supreme Court justices' pay be reduced?
No. Article III, Section 1, says they shall "receive for their services, a compensation, which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office":The judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The judges, both of the supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good behaviour, and shall, at stated times, receive for their services, a compensation, which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.AnswerThe Constitution says Congress cannot lower the pay of the Supreme Court justices; however, the Justices' pay was sometimes reduced in the early 19th century, although the circumstances surrounding the adjustment and how Constitutional issues were resolved is left in question.
How long did Justice Hugo Black serve on the Supreme Court?
Hugo Black was the first of eight Supreme Court justices President Franklin Roosevelt nominated during his tenure. Black, a Democratic Senator from Alabama, was also the first candidate whose nomination was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for review. His appointment was controversial because he was nominated while an incumbent in Congress, which appeared to be unconstitutional. The Committee resolved their concerns and voted 13-4 to recommend his commission, which the Senate accomplished by a vote of 63-13, on August 17, 1937. Black served under five Chief Justices between 1937-1971 (12,447 days), and was considered one of the most influential jurists of the 20th century.
How did Roger B Taney get to be supreme court justice?
Roger B. Taney became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the early part of the 19th century. He had been President Andrew Jackson's Attorney General and was a Secretary of the Treasury. Critics say that his close friendship with President Jackson was the reason that Taney was nominated to be Chief Justice and this was confirmed by the Senate.
How many Presidents of the US also served as Supreme Court justices?
Just one. William Howard Taft was President 1909-1913 and Chief Justice (appointed by Harding) 1921-1930. Another Justice, Charles Evans Hughes (Associate Justice 1910-1916, Chief Justice 1930-1941) ran for President in 1916 but narrowly lost to Woodrow Wilson.
How many white people are on the US Supreme Court?
Zero. In 1789, neither women nor non-whites were allowed to practice law nor participate in government in the United States. Neither had voting rights. Most African-Americans were held as slaves, and considered chattel (property), rather than citizens. Women had few legal rights and were subservient to their husbands. The United States, like most countries in the 18th century, was both patriarchal and xenophobic. That trend continues today, albeit to a lesser extent.President Lyndon Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall as the first African-American on the US Supreme Court in 1967. President Ronald Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor as the first female justice in 1981. To date, only two of 112 justices have been African-American, four have been women, one of whom (Sonia Sotomayor) is also Latina. Even Jewish people were excluded from the Court until President Wilson appointed Louis Brandeis in 1916.
