0
What US President appointed 42 judges in his last days in office?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Answer
President John Adams, the 2nd President of the United States (1796-1801), because he wanted a Federalist majority in the Supreme Court. Many anti-Federalists or Democratic-Republicans thought this unfair and did not want to honor the appointments made by the outgoing President.
Answer
President Adams, a member of the Federalist party, lost the 1800 Presidential election to his rival, Thomas Jefferson, who was a member of the new Democratic-Republican party. The Democratic-Republicans originated from a group called the anti-Federalists because they opposed almost everything the Federalists stood for. The Federalists favored a strong central government, with State and individual rights subordinate to the federal (hence, the name "Federalists") government; the Democratic-Republicans, on the other hand, supported States rights and a smaller central government that did little to interfere with personal liberty. Federalists believed in rule by the elite; Democratic-Republicans believed ordinary citizens should play a larger role.
Adams' was not the only loss the Federalists suffered during the 1800 elections. They also lost control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, which did not bode well for the party's future. President Adams, in a desperate attempt to reinforce the Federalists' influence, took advantage of two pieces of legislation Congress passed during its lame duck session, in February 1801.
The first was the Judiciary Act of 1801, passed in mid-February, which expanded the federal judiciary, reduced the number of Supreme Court justices by one (by attrition), and created 16 new Circuit judgeships to relieve the Supreme Court justices of their "Circuit riding" responsibilities. Adams quickly appointed members of the Federalist party to all 16 positions.
The second piece of legislation was the Organic Act of 1801, which passed just a few days before the end of Adams' term. The Organic Act removed the territory of the District of Columbia from the jurisdiction of Maryland and Virginia, and placed it under Congressional control. The Act also allowed Adams to appoint an unspecified number of low-level judicial workers, justices of the peace, to serve five-year terms in the District of Columbia.
On March 2, two days before leaving office, the President nominated 42 men to fill these positions. Congress pushed the confirmations through on March 3, in the waning hours of Federalist control; Adams signed the appointments; and Secretary of State John Marshall stayed up late into the night entering information into the ledger and sealing the commissions in preparation for delivery. Collectively, these justices of the peace became known as the "Midnight Judges" for their last-minute initiation.
Marshall had to rely on the incoming Secretary of State under President Jefferson, James Madison, to deliver the paperwork so the appointees could take office.
Marshall, meanwhile, had been nominated Chief Justice of the United States at the end of January 1801, had been sworn-in in early February, and had served as both Secretary of State and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during Adams' final month in office. (Some people also consider Marshall a Midnight Judge, although this is technically incorrect.)
Unfortunately for both former President Adams and new Chief Justice Marshall, Thomas Jefferson thwarted their efforts at creating an all-Federalist Judicial branch by eliminating twelve of the justice of the peace positions, replacing five appointees with members of the Democratic-Republican party, and allowing Madison to arrange delivery of the rest.
Four of the men whose appointments were rescinded petitioned the Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus (a court order compelling an official to execute an action under his power) forcing Madison to deliver their commissions. This resulted in one of the most important cases in Supreme Court history, Marbury v. Madison, (1803). (William Marbury was one of the four men petitioning for relief.)
The Democratic-Republicans in Congress also repealed the Judiciary Act of 1801, temporarily reverting to former conditions under the Judiciary Act of 1789, and legislating the new federal judgeships out of existence. In the process, they suspended the Term of the Supreme Court for a year, to prevent their interference with the transition. Thus, the Supreme Court did not sit at all in 1802, and fourteen months elapsed between sessions.
For more information on Marbury v. Madison, 5 US 137, (1803), see Related Links, below.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What president only served 32 days in office?
William Henry Harrison was this unfortunate president.
Who appointed William Marbury as a justice of the peace?
Federalist President John Adams hastily appointed 42 justices of the peace to new judicial positions Congress created in the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801. These men became known as the Midnight Judges, because the Act passed just a few days before the end of Adams' administration, and Adams hastily nominated members of the Federalist party for all the positions.For more information on Marbury v. Madison, (1803), see Related Questions, below.
How many days were the US hostages held by the Iranians?
They were held for 444 days after the embassy was attacked, from November 4, 1979 to January 21, 1981, not coincidentally the first full day in office of President Ronald Reagan.
Abraham Lincoln terms?
Abraham Lincoln was elected to the office of President for 2 terms. He was elected to his first term as President on November 6, 1860, and sworn into office on March 4, 1861. He was re-elected as President, for a second term, on November 8, 1864, and sworn into office on March 4, 1865. He served about 42 days of his second term, as he was assassinated on April 14, 1865, and died on April 15, 1865.
Who served for the second shortest time as US President?
James A. Garfield served for a shorter time than anyone but W, H. Harrison.
What are the benefits for a judge?
Federal judges are appointed to lifetime tenure 'with good behavior.' Their salary cannot be diminished by Congress. They are appointed by the President.
Days President Harrison in office?
30 days
How many days a year does a judge work?
Federal Judges are appointed for life, Circuit Judges are elected to office for a 6 year term. This could vary by state.
What name was given to the group of judges that President Adams elected in the last few days of his presidency?
Midnight Judges (study Island) (your welcome)
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.
Which President was only in office for thirty days?
William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia after 31 days in office.
Who died after 32 days in office?
William Henry Harrison , the 9th US president , died 32 days after he took office.
Which president was assassinated after 100 days in office?
James Garfield was the man.
Who died first as president?
William Henry Harrison was the first president to die in office. He held office for 31 days before dying from pneumonia.
Which president was the oldest when he left office?
Ronald Reagan was the oldest President ever when he left office. He was just 17 days away from his 78th birthday.
Was the first president to die in office?
The first US president to die in office was William Henry Harrison who died in April, 1841. The president with the shortest term in office was also Harrison, and it lasted just 31 days.
When does a French president take office after elected?
The newly elected French president is sworn into office at most ten days after the result of the election. He cannot take office until the Conseil Constitutionnel (constitutional Court) has validated the election result, a process which takes usually three to four days.
