Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court

'Beginning in 1935, in a series of devastating decisions, the Supreme Court\"s conservative majority left much of FDR\"s agenda in ruins. The pillars of the New Deal fell in short succession. It was not just the New Deal, but democracy itself, that stood on trial. In February 1937, Roosevelt struck back with an audacious plan to expand the Court to fifteen justices\'\"and to \'pack\' the new seats with liberals who shared his belief in a \'living\' Constitution.

The ensuing fight was a firestorm that engulfed the White House, the Court, Congress, and the nation. The final verdict was a shock. It dealt FDR the biggest setback of his political life, split the Democratic party, and set the stage for a future era of Republican dominance. Yet the battle also transformed America\"s political and constitutional landscape, hastening the nation\"s march into the modern world.

This brilliant work of history unfolds like a thriller, with vivid characters and unexpected twists. Providing new evidence and fresh insight, Jeff Shesol shows why understanding the Court fight is essential to understanding the presidency, personality, and legacy of FDR\'\"and to understanding America at a crossroads in its history.'

The recent uproar over the Supreme Court's ruling that overturned law limiting corporate contributions to political campaigns is nothing compared to the conflict between President Franklin Roosevelt and the Supreme Court during the mid-1930s. During FDR's first term, the Court ruled unconstitutional many of the core programs of his New Deal. Roosevelt responded with a plan to add six more justices to the Court--a plan that led to a political firestorm and the biggest political defeat of FDR's career. Shesol's book is the most comprehensive account of the "Court-packing" controversy to date, providing both an inside look at the thinking and actions of all the actors and an analysis of the long-term effects of Roosevelt's ill-fated move. Written more like a good novel than a history, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the current controversies surrounding the Supreme Court. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Full of surprises and new insights . . . this book is about more than [Franklin Roosevelt's] plan to pack the [Supreme] Court. It's about America's enduring struggle to reconcile our founders' ideals with conflicting challenges . . . to build a more perfect union.--President Bill Clinton.

In the years before World War II, Franklin Roosevelt's fiercest, most unyielding opponent was neither a foreign power nor "fear itself." It was the U.S. Supreme Court.

Beginning in 1935, in a series of devastating decisions, the Supreme Court's conservative majority left much of FDR's agenda in ruins. The pillars of the New Deal fell in short succession. It was not just the New Deal, but democracy itself, that stood on trial. In February 1937, Roosevelt struck back with an audacious plan to expand the Court to fifteen justices--and to "pack" the new seats with liberals who shared his belief in a "living" Constitution.

The ensuing fight was a firestorm that engulfed the White House, the Court, Congress, and the nation. The final verdict was a shock. It dealt FDR the biggest setback of his political life, split the Democratic party, and set the stage for a future era of Republican dominance. Yet the battle also transformed America's political and constitutional landscape, hastening the nation's march into the modern world.

This brilliant work of history unfolds like a thriller, with vivid characters and unexpected twists. Providing new evidence and fresh insight, Jeff Shesol shows why understanding the Court fight is essential to understanding the presidency, personality, and legacy of FDR--and to understanding America at a crossroads in its history.

During Franklin Roosevelt"s first term, a narrow conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court struck down several key elements of the New Deal legislation. In February 1937, Roosevelt retaliated with an audacious plan to expand the Court'"to subdue the conservative justices by outnumbering them with liberals. The ensuing fight was a firestorm that engulfed the White House, the Court, Congress, and the country. Although the Court would remain at nine justices, the confrontation transformed the political and constitutional landscape, saving the New Deal and bringing the nation into the modern world. But it also dealt FDR the biggest setback of his political life and split the Democratic party, thus laying the foundation for a future era of Republican dominance.

This brilliant work of political and judicial history unfolds like a thriller, with wonderful characters and unexpected twists. It uses new evidence to make clear that understanding the fight is essential to understanding the personality and presidency of FDR'"and America at a crossroads in its history.

Jeff Shesol is the author of Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court and Mutual Contempt: Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the Feud That Defined a Decade. He was a speechwriter in the Clinton administration and lives in Washington, DC.