Benjamin Harrison Administration - Harrison and the Judiciary
Harrison and the Judiciary
Harrison appointed four people to the Supreme Court during his presidency. They were justices David J. Brewer, Henry Billings Brown, Howell E. Jackson, and George Shiras Jr. Jackson, who was confirmed on the last day of Harrison's presidency, March 3, 1893, was a Democrat from Tennessee. He was selected because of that party's victory in 1892 and because he was a personal friend of Harrison and the incoming president, Grover Cleveland. The others, of course, were loyal Republicans. Although the foursome did not always agree on matters, they normally adhered to the Court's states' rights, laissez-faire, or free enterprise, philosophy. These views dominated several landmark cases they later helped decide.
One other judicial event of note that took place during Harrison's administration resulted from Harrison's desire to help the Supreme Court reduce its backlog of cases. The Judiciary Act of 1789 had...
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