Supreme Presidency

Paper Summary:

The basic premise of the book discusses President Franklin D. Roosevelt's efforts to "pack" the U.S. Supreme Court to insure that his economic programs for coping with the Depression were not defeated. This paper reviews the key elements of the book and other reviews and concludes that judicial power needs to be identified as a separate power from that of the President. Judges must maintain their individualism and sense of autonomy in delegating their own power and mandating decisions.

From the Paper:

"Jackson, known for his eloquent style, was a staunch supporter for the equality of the legislative and executive branches of the government. During his thirteen years on the Supreme Court, Jackson was considered an enigma by many. He was a very gifted man who wrote eloquent defenses for free expression in some cases while in others he upheld state power to suppress speech and other freedoms. His opinions were individualistic, pragmatic, hard to predict and middle-of-the-road. (Salem Press 2000) To better understand Jackson's approach to writing this book, it is best to begin with some brief background information on the author himself, mainly key factors in his political career that affected his writing."

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