ipl-logo

How Did Adams Reduce The Number Of Federal Judges In The Court

513 Words3 Pages

Adams, a Federalist, and Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, were the candidates for president in 1800. The vote in the Electoral College resulted in a tie between Jefferson and Burr, who had 73 votes each. The consequent decision of the House of Representatives elected Jefferson as the president. Concerning the Federalists’ stance of the government, president Adams attempted to reduce the number of Supreme Court justices, and greatly increased the number of federal judges in the Court. For this reason, the federalist members of Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1801 which created 16 new federal judgeships which he filled with federalists on the final day of his presidency. The federalist judges that Adams appointed to the positions were later to be known as the Midnight Judges. In the face of attacks on the judiciary launched by Jefferson and his followers, this act ensured that the Federalists still had a hold on the judiciary part of …show more content…

Madison is a case of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1803 that inspired the establishment of Judicial Review. During the presidency of Adams, John Marshall appointed as Justice of the Peace in D.C. However, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson’s secretary of state, refused to deliver Marbury's appointment papers. Without discrepancy, Marbury directly sued the Supreme Court, and order Madison to deliver the appointment papers. Nevertheless, Chief Justice John Marshall lectures Jefferson that the Court could not grant the writ because Section 13 of the Judiciary Act of 1789 didn’t allow so, although the appointment should have been delivered. Shortly after, the Court found that the Judiciary Act of 1789 conflicts with the Constitution. Since the Constitution is defined to be a supreme law, the Supreme Court strikes down laws that conflict with the Constitution. In consequence, this case gained the court the power of Judicial Review and maintained the status of the Judiciary as a co-equal branch of

Open Document