Existing comment:
1836-1873
The Taney and Chase Courts
Chief Justice: Roger B. Taney, 1836-1864, appointed by Jackson
Chief Justice: Salmon P. Chase, 1864-1873, appointed by Lincoln
The National Debate:
The Court became the center of the national debate on slavery in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), which questioned the rights of enslaved people and the ability of Congress to regulate slavery in territories. In a 7-2 decision, Chief Justice Taney wrote the Court's opinion, stating that slaves were not citizens and that Congress did not have the power to regulate slavery. Although Taney hoped to settle the argument once and for all, the opinion pushed the country closer to civil war.
Judicial Snapshot:
The first official photograph of the Court was taken in 1865 by Alexander Gardner (below). As photography became more common, members of government bodies were increasingly documented in photographs. This tradition continues today as an official photograph is taken every time a new member joins the Court.
Westward, Ho!
As the nation expanded westward, the court system followed. The first Justice appointed from west of the Mississippi, Samuel F. Miller, joined the Court in 1862 and several more soon followed. The addition of new territories also changed the types of cases before the Court, as they heard more cases relating to land disputes and new technologies, such as railroads.
Musical Chairs:
Throughout the 19th century, the number of seats on the Court changes as new states joined the nation, growing to ten in 1863. The number eventually settled at nine in 1869, where it remains today.
1837: 9
1863: 10
1866: 7
1869: 9
Law School Grads:
When Benjamin R. Curtis joined the Court in 1851, he became the first Justice who had earned a law degree, graduating in 1832. Previously, few formal law schools existed and most students read law under the tutelage of practicing lawyers. Attending law school steadily became more common among members of the Court.
New Amendments:
The passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, prohibiting slavery and guaranteeing the rights of citizens, expanded the powers of the American Constitution. Much of the Justices' work in the next decades involved interpreting these new Amendments.
1836: First Catholic Justice: Roger B. Taney
1839: The Daguerreotype is invented
1841: Amistad case
1846-1848: Mexican-American War
1848: California Gold Rush begins
1852: Uncle Tom's Cabin is published
1852: Otis safety elevator is invented
1857: Dred Scot v. Sandford
1860: Court moves to the Old Senate Chamber in the U.S. Capitol
1861-1865: American Civil War
1863: Emancipation Proclamation
1865: First African-American admitted to the Supreme Court Bar: John S. Rock
1869: Trans-continental Railroad connected
1873: Levi Strauss created jeans
1873: Slaughterhouse cases |