Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court

This video originally aired on Tuesday, March 23, 2010.

About This Video

Jeff Shesol recalls Franklin Roosevelt's confrontation with the U.S. Supreme Court who objected to vital elements of his New Deal legislation.  In 1937 the President announced a plan to expand the court to ensure that liberal justices would outnumber conservatives.  Mr. Shesol reports that President Roosevelt's plan failed but helped push through New Deal legislation while it created a fissure in the Democratic Party that the author maintains led to future Republican ascendance.  Jeff Shesol discussed his book with Jeffrey Toobin, staff writer at The New Yorker and senior legal analyst at CNN at the New York Historical Society in New York City.

Keywords

U.S. Supreme Court, Franklin Roosevelt

Related Subjects/Topics

  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. History

Speakers

  • Jeff Shesol
  • Jeffrey Toobin
    Senior Analyst
    CNN