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FDR's Attempt at Court Packing FDR, the Supreme Cour

FDR, the Supreme Court, and Congress in the

The Great Depression of the 1930s was a central event not only in American economic history but in its political history, with echoes that continue in American political rhetoric to the present day. The Republican Party, which had held the presidency since 1920 -- and through most of the period since the American Civil War -- was swept out by the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt, commonly called simply FDR, in 1932. When he entered office in 1933, he began to put into place a set of sweeping economic reforms, known collectively as the New Deal.

The American political system is characterized by the "separation of powers" between the executive, legislative, and judicial components of government, represented respectively by the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court. The following discussion will explore some of the interactions of these branches of government during the New Deal, through an analysis of FDR's so-called "Court-packing" effort in 1937.

The centerpiece of New Deal legislation was the National Industrial Recovery Act, which established the National Recovery Administration (NRA) and the Public Works Administration (PWA). The NRA took the leading role in a "national crusade" to increase industrial production and employment, among other things pressuring employers to accept new minimum wage and maximum working hours regulations.

Congress, which was overwhelmingly Democratic, strongly supported the New Deal through FDR's first term. The Supreme Court, however, was largely made up of Republican appointees. It took some time for the legal issues raised by the New Deal to work their way up through the court system. By 1935, however,

While at first the Court had accepted most of Roosevelt's programs, in the previous two years, led by Chief Justice Hughes, it had ruled in several cases that the executive branch had unconstitutionally assumed powers reser...

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FDR's Attempt at Court Packing FDR, the Supreme Cour. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 12:00, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1703330.html