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What Was Fdr's Court Package Plan

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FDR's Court-Packing Plan On February 5th of 1937, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt surprised the public when he announced the controversial Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937 (more commonly known as the Court-Packing Plan). This plan was constructed in response to the criticism his New Deal programs were facing during his first term as president. He presented a bill that was aimed at expanding the membership of the judges in the Supreme Court. Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced the proposal after garnering majority votes in the 1936 elections. The motive behind his move of expanding the Supreme Court was to make the court more efficient. President Roosevelt argued that he wanted to bring diversity to the courts and also bring new ideologies …show more content…

He wanted to expand the court so that it could accommodate up to 15 members (Proctor 1147). The move made his critics charge against the bill, and they argued that the president wanted to pack the court so that he could neutralise the hostilities of the Supreme Court Judges against his new dealings. The critics believed that he tried to stop the judicial arm of the government from checking the actions of the executive arm of the government. Through this event, the constitutional principle of checks and balances protects the three arms of government was used appropriately. The judicial arm of government believed that the legislation that were being pushed by the executive were not good for the country and they struck them off. The legislative arm also played a role in checking both the judicial branch and the executive branch. Although he presented a different thought, the critics believed that since the courts had been striking down his New Deal bills, he aimed to introduce more judges so that they could help …show more content…

Through the New Deal legislation, the president had aimed at ensuring that he leads the country out of the economic regression that was being experienced at the time. The New Deal legislation also saw the executive arm of the government grow both in power and in size. This is because the executive branch controlled most of the sectors that shape the economy of the country. For instance, President Roosevelt was in charge of the rural electrification program, and he was also in charge of the federal labour laws, the Social Security creation and other programs and projects that helped farmers and people in business to grow their enterprises (Jackson, Donald & Riddlesperger 165). Through this, the president Roosevelt was able to manage the economy of the country. The president through the FDR's Court-Packing Plan had to ensure that he had the judicial arm in check and also balance its powers so that some of these legislations could be implemented (Lovell n.p). The executive arm of the government was checking and balancing the powers of the judiciary at this point in this event. The judiciary and the legislature also tried to ensure that the executive arm does not increase its powers and authority to the extent that it can control the other arms of

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