Question

Explain the court packing scandal and how it affected the behavior of both the courts and the efforts of FDR

Answer 1

Following the Supreme Court's decision on the AAA and NPR as unconstitutional, FDR attempted to add 2 more seats to the Supreme Court. Being there is no set number in the Constitution, FDR believed he had the right to add 2 more justices. Consequently, the additional seats would have gone to Democrats in favor of the New Deal legislation therefore overturning the blocks put into place. It was overwhelming viewed as an authoritarian move and criticize from all branches and both political parties. Being FDR would have to work within the system, he rewrote his New Deal policies to fit the standard of the Constitution and worked around the system to get his policies in place.