Arthur Administration - Arthur and the Judiciary

Arthur and the Judiciary

During his administration, Arthur made two appointments to the Supreme Court. His first appointee was Horace Gray of Massachusetts, a former state supreme court chief justice and renowned legal scholar, who brought a great knowledge of precedent decisions to the Court. Gray distinguished himself when he wrote the majority opinion in Julliard v. Greenman (1884), which gave the government the right to issue paper money in times of peace as well as war.

Samuel Blatchford of New York was Arthur's second appointee, after Arthur's old friend, political boss Senator Roscoe Conkling, declined to serve. Blatchford was a former circuit court judge who was known for his expertise in patent law. Blatchford wrote the pro-business majority opinion in Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul v. Minnesota (1890), when he ruled that corporations whose rates were subject to state regulation could sue states in...

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