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What were John Adams midnight appointments?
the midnight judges
Who appoints the president?
John Quincy Adams
What US President appointed the Midnight Judges?
Second US President John Adams appointed 42 justices of the peace for the territory of Washington, DC a few days before President Jefferson succeeded him in office. Adams wanted to ensure his Federalist party, which was losing popularity to Jefferson's Democratic-Republican party, retained power in the government. He attempted to accomplish this by packing the Judicial branch of government with Federalist judges.The lame duck Congress also passed the Judiciary Act of 1801, rearranging the federal court system and allowing Adams to appoint 16 new Circuit judges and several new District judges the month before leaving office. The justices of the peace and federal judges, collectively, are often referred to as the "midnight judges" for their last-minute appointments.President Thomas Jefferson refused to have some of the commissions delivered after taking office, which lead to the US Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison, (1803).For more information, see Related Questions, below.
How did President Adams try to pack the court through the Judiciary Act of 1801?
President Adams used new provisions of the Judiciary Act of 1801 in an attempt to pack the court. The 1801 Act replaced the 1789 Act, reorganized the federal court system, redrew Districts and added five new District Court judges and sixteen Circuit judges to relieve the US Supreme Court justices of their circuit-riding responsibilities. Adams exclusively appointed members of his Federalist party to the new judgeships, inviting criticism for court-packing.A second piece of legislation, the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801 allowed Adams to create 42 new justice of the peace positions (low-level judiciary) to serve the District of Columbia.For more information, see Related Questions, below.
Why did the federalists retain a great deal of power even after they were defeated by the democratic republicans?
federalist retain a great deal of power even after they were defeated by the democratic republicans because even though Jefferson ended the federalist program, John Adams had seen to that with the Judiciary Act. under this act Adams had appointed as many federalist judges as he could between the election of 1800 and Jefferson's inauguration in 1801.
