Lincoln Administrations - Lincoln and the Judiciary
Lincoln and the Judiciary
Lincoln left an important impression on the judiciary through his appointment of Republicans, both to the Supreme Court and to the lower federal judiciary. No appointment demonstrated the change in direction of the country with the Republicans more than the appointment of Salmon P. Chase as chief justice of the Supreme Court on December 6, 1864. Chase, who had built his reputation as an opponent of slavery, replaced Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, author of the infamous Dred Scott decision of 1857 (See also, Buchanan Administration). In the 1869 case Texas v. White, Chase would write the Lincoln administration's view of the nation into constitutional law when he described the nation as "an indestructible Union of indestructible States."
Chase was the last and most famous of Lincoln's five appointments...
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