176: FDR v. “The Nine Old Men” (The New Deal pt. 3): Court Packing and Closing the New Deal

History That Doesn't Suck

“No matter how great and good a man may be, executive aggrandizement is not safe for democracy.”

This is the story of Franklin’s second term and his battle with the Supreme Court.

It’s no secret that SCOTUS hasn’t really been ruling in the New Deal’s favor. But with such an overwhelming victory at the polls, Franklin feels confident that he can circumvent that by upping the number of judges from nine to fifteen and appointing people who see the vision. But what does the public make of it? What does Congress think? Is this court-packing plan a timely reform? Or is it a blatant disregard for the constitutional concept of checks and balances?

It’s incredibly polarizing, so much so that members of Congress are willing to argue, filibuster, and even die over the bill. Literally.

____

Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and

• go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations
• join discussions in our Facebook community
• get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette
• come see a live show
• get HTDS merch
• or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks.

HTDS is part of Audacy media network.

Interested in advertising on the History That Doesn't Suck? Contact Audacyinc.com

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices