Which one of the following was a criticism of Roosevelt's court- packing plan?

Answer 1

His plan would disrupt the checks and balances of the government

Answer 2

President Franklin Roosevelt drafted legislation intended to change the balance of the US Supreme Court by adding one new, New Deal-friendly justice for each sitting justice over the age of 70.5, to a maximum of six new justices, potentially expanding the Court to 15. Roosevelt overreached his constitutional authority by attempting to advance his agenda by using authority assigned exclusively to Congress under Article I of the Constitution (determining the size and structure of the Supreme Court). The US Constitution specifically provides for separation of powers to ensure no single branch gains too much control over government.

Answer 3

Court-packing is often an attempt by the sitting President to override checks and balances by nominating numerous members of his (or her) own party or ideology to the Supreme Court or other courts in the federal judiciary. This action generally skews decisions to accommodate the President's agenda for an extended period of time because Article III Courts (primarily US District Courts, US Courts of Appeals Circuit Courts, and the Supreme Court of the United States) award judges and justices lifetime appointments.

If the Congress is controlled or heavily influenced by the opposing political party, attempts at court-packing are usually thwarted. Congress uses the power of checks and balances to prevent the President from achieving his goal.

Answer 4

The criticism was that the President tried to influence the Supreme Court's jurisdiction by adding to the number of judges with candidates sympathetic to Roosevelt's New Deal initiatives.

Roosevelt's argument was that that the Constitution does not limit the number of Supreme Court judges, so that he was perfectly entitled to propose legislation to add to their number.

In the end, Congress put the proposal on the back burner and Roosevelt saw his problem solved by one of the Supreme Court judges moving over to the pro-New Deal side of the Court, thereby giving it a majority.