NPR logo NPR Books

Supreme Power

Franklin Roosevelt Vs. the Supreme Court

by Jeff Shesol

Supreme Power

Hardcover, 644 pages, W W Norton & Co Inc, List Price: $27.95 | purchase

close

Purchase Featured Books

  • Supreme Power
  • Franklin Roosevelt Vs. the Supreme Court
  • Jeff Shesol
Your purchase helps support NPR Programming. How?

Book Summary

The author of Mutual Contempt chronicles Franklin Roosevelt's battle with the Supreme Court, which culminated in him trying to suppress its conservative justices by expanding the size of the court, a attempt which failed and divided the Democratic party, yet still helped to save the New Deal.

NPR stories about Supreme Power

Author Interviews

FDR's Losing Battle To Pack The Supreme Court

In 1937, frustrated by a conservative Supreme Court that struck down a series of his New Deal programs, President Franklin Roosevelt set about to reform the court — by expanding it and adding as many as six liberal justices. The controversial proposition is examined in writer Jeff Shesol's new book, Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court.

Franklin Roosevelt

Comments

 

Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and Terms of Use. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.

NPR logo NPR Books