1937 in American Politics - 74th United States Congress, 75th United States Congress, National Labor Relations ACT, Neutrality Acts of 1930s (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 23. Chapters: 74th United States Congress, 75th United States Congress, National Labor Relations Act, Neutrality Acts of 1930s, Robinson-Patman Act, Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937, Fair Labor Standards Act, Adjusted Compensation Payment Act, Housing Act of 1937, National Apprenticeship Act, Connally Hot Oil Act of 1935, Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act, Second Vinson Act, Conservative Manifesto. Excerpt: The Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937, frequently called the court-packing plan, was a legislative initiative proposed by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt to add more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. Roosevelt's purpose was to obtain favorable rulings regarding New Deal legislation that had been previously ruled unconstitutional. The central and most controversial provision of the bill would have granted the President power to appoint an additional Justice to the U.S. Supreme Court, up to a maximum of six, for every sitting member over the age of 70 years and 6 months. During Roosevelt's first term, the Supreme Court had struck down several New Deal measures intended to bolster economic recovery during the Great Depression, leading to charges from New Deal supporters that a narrow majority of the court was obstructionist and political. Since the U.S. Constitution does not limit the size of the Supreme Court, Roosevelt sought to counter this entrenched opposition to his political agenda by expanding the number of justices in order to create a pro-New Deal majority on the bench. Opponents viewed the legislation as an attempt to stack the court, leading to the name "Court-packing Plan." The legislation was unveiled on February 5, 1937 and was the subject, on March 9, 1937, of one of Roosevelt's Fireside chats. Shortly after the radio address, on March 29, the Supreme Court published its opinion upholding a Washin...