Abraham Lincoln's Supreme Court

[David Lockmiller]

President Lincoln appointed five Justices to the United States Supreme Court during a critical period in American history. When he assumed the presidency in 1861 the Court had only one vacancy. However, Justice McLean soon died and Justice Campbell resigned to join the Southern Confederacy.

Lincoln did not fill any positions until 1862, when he nominated Noah Swayne, Samuel Miller, and David Davis. In 1863 Stephen Field became the tenth Justice after Congress expanded the Court. When Chief Justice Roger Taney died in 1864, Lincoln appointed his former Treasury Secretary to succeed him.

During this period Justices received an annual salary of $6,000 and were expected to travel the circuit to hear federal cases. They met for only one term a year in the U.S. Capitol.

(Source: Abraham Lincoln Online)

Interesting fact: Chief Justice Roger Taney replaced Chief Justice John Marshall of Marbury v. Madison (5 U.S. 137, 1 Cranch 137 (1803)) well-deserved fame.

On March 28, 1836, Taney took the oath of office; he died in office on October 12, 1864.

[GustD45]

Roger Taney, who wrote the majority opinion in the Dred Scott case, had a long career on the bench

[LincolnMan]

I did not know that. President Lincoln’s time in office had a potentially huge impact on legal matter long after he was gone just based on those five alone.