Van Buren Administration - Van Buren and the Judiciary
Van Buren and the Judiciary
Shortly after Van Buren had taken office, Postmaster General Amos Kendall rejected a $120,000 claim filed by a powerful contractor, Stockton and Stokes, on the grounds that the sum was not a legitimate claim but the product of sloppy bookkeeping and overbidding. The solicitor of the Treasury, who had close personal ties to Stockton and Stokes, ruled that Kendall should not only credit the contractors with the $120,000 in question, but also pay an additional $40,000. The Senate concurred with this decision. Kendall immediately complied with the first order, but he refused to pay the additional award, for which he could find no justification.
Kendall argued that as a member of the executive branch, he was under no obligation to comply with the "recommendation" of the Senate or a later writ of mandamus (used only when all other judicial remedies fail), issued by the circuit court in the District of...
[The entire page is 344 words long]
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