Polk Administration - Polk and the Judiciary

Polk and the Judiciary

While there were no landmark cases decided by the Supreme Court during Polk's four years in office, he did face the challenge of filling two vacancies on the Court. In keeping with his views on political patronage, Polk maintained a tight grip on the appointment process and viewed the opportunity of filling the vacancies as a chance to smooth relations between the disparate wings of the Democratic Party. Polk was able to assure that the justices were "original Democrats" who believed in strict construction of the Constitution, states's rights, unionism, and limited government.

In filling Supreme Court positions, Polk once again made the regional identity of his appointees a primary concern. Under the Judiciary Act of 1789 it was the duty of Supreme Court justices to preside over the regional circuit courts. Polk was determined to appoint people who were natives of the regions over which they would...

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