Who appointed the midnight judges?

Answer 1

The "Midnight Judges" were 42 Federalist justices of the peace President John Adams appointed immediately before his administration ended and Thomas Jefferson's began. They were appointed because Adams realized the Federalist party was losing power and control in government to the Democratic-Republicans (who also called themselves "anti-Federalists,").

The Midnight Judges were symbolically important, but had little judicial power and only served five-year terms. They were appointed as a matter of patronage (a reward to a loyal political supporter) under the Organic Act of 1801 (for the District of Columbia), and were not part of the court-packing scheme devised under the Judiciary Act of 1801, that allowed Adams and the Federalist-dominated Congress to appoint a number of judges to Article III constitutional courts.

Those judges represented a real problem for incoming President Jefferson, because they received lifetime appointments and would have had a political and ideological impact on the US government for decades to come. The Midnight Judges, on the other hand, posed no political threat, but Jefferson allegedly believed John Adams had appointed an excessive number and withheld some of their commissions. They may also have been an annoying reminder of Adams' clever court-packing scheme, but that's a different story.

Several of the Midnight Judges whose commissions were withheld attempted to compel their delivery by filing suit in the US Supreme Court. These men played an important role in a landmark US Supreme Court case, Marbury v. Madison, (1803), and were ultimately of more historical importance than the higher federal judges.

For more information about Marbury v. Madison and the midnight judges, see Related Questions, below.

Answer 2

The "Midnight Judges" were 42 Federalist justices of the peace President John Adams appointed immediately before his administration ended and Thomas Jefferson's began. They were appointed because Adams realized the Federalist party was losing power and control in government to the Democratic-Republicans (who also called themselves "anti-Federalists,").

The Midnight Judges were symbolically important, but had little judicial power and only served five-year terms. They were appointed as a matter of patronage (a reward to a loyal political supporter) under the Organic Act of 1801 (for the District of Columbia), and were not part of the court-packing scheme devised under the Judiciary Act of 1801, that allowed Adams and the Federalist-dominated Congress to appoint a number of judges to Article III constitutional courts. Those judges represented a real problem for incoming President Jefferson, because they received lifetime commissions and would have a political and ideological impact on the US government for decades to come. The Midnight Judges, on the other hand, posed no political threat, but Jefferson allegedly believed John Adams had appointed an excessive number and withheld some of their commissions. They may also have been an annoying reminder of Adams' clever court-packing scheme, but that's a different story.

Several of the Midnight Judges whose commissions were withheld attempted to compel their delivery by filing suit in the US Supreme Court. These men played an important role in a landmark US Supreme Court case, Marbury v. Madison, (1803), and were ultimately of more historical importance than the higher federal judges.