The Taft Court

SCOTUS
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Judgeships
	Posts: 9
	Judges: 9
Judges
	Chief: John Roberts
	Active: Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas

The Taft Court lasted from June 1921 until February 1930, during the presidencies of Warren Harding (R), Calvin Coolidge (R), and Herbert Hoover (R).

William Howard Taft was nominated by President Warren Harding (R) on June 30, 1921, to be chief justice of the court. He received his commission on June 30, 1921, and served until his resignation on February 3, 1930.^[1]

Taft served as the head of two branches of government, as President of the United States from 1909 to 1913, and chief justice of the Supreme Court from 1921 to 1930.

Associate justices

The following justices served on the Taft Court.

Tenure	Justice	Nominated By
1898-1925	Joseph McKenna	William McKinley
1902-1932	Oliver Wendell Holmes	Theodore Roosevelt
1903-1922	William Rufus Day	Theodore Roosevelt
1911-1937	Willis Van Devanter	William Howard Taft
1912-1922	Mahlon Pitney	William Howard Taft
1914-1941	James Clark McReynolds	Woodrow Wilson
1916-1922	John Hessin Clarke	Woodrow Wilson
1916-1939	Louis Brandeis	Woodrow Wilson
1922-1938	George Sutherland	Warren Harding
1923-1930	Edward Terry Sanford	Warren Harding
1923-1939	Pierce Butler	Warren Harding
1925-1941	Harlan Fiske Stone	Franklin D. Roosevelt
1930-1945	Owen Josephus Roberts	Herbert Hoover

Major cases

Congress cannot regulate child labor through taxation (1922)

The child labor tax law, also called the Revenue Act of 1919, was enacted by Congress to tax businesses 10 percent of their yearly revenue if they employed children under fourteen. Drexel Furniture Co. owed $6,000 as a result, which they paid under protest. The question brought before the Supreme Court was whether or not Congress had the power to regulate child labor. The Supreme Court determined that the law was unconstitutional and that the tax constituted a prohibitory and regulatory effect.^[2]

Citizens of U.S. territories are not protected by the Constitution (1922)

Jesús M. Balzac was charged with criminal libel in Puerto Rico. He contested his conviction on the grounds that he was not given a trial by jury as was ensured by the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution. The Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decision, saying that provisions of the Constitution did not apply to United States territories that were not incorporated into the Union.^[3]

Adkins v. Children's Hospital of D.C. (1923)

In 1918, Congress established a law establishing a minimum wage to women and children in Washington, D.C. The Children's Hospital of D.C. sought to halt enforcement of the law. On the basis of Lochner v. New York (1905), the majority ruled that the law was unconstitutional.

Gitlow v. New York (1925)

Gitlow was arrested and convicted under New York’s Criminal Anarchy Law for distributing a manifesto calling for the establishment of socialism through class action and strikes. At trial, Gitlow argued that the state penalized his speech, though no action emanated from said speech. On appeal, the Supreme Court ruled that the state could penalize Gitlow's speech. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes dissented, writing that Gitlow had not violated the clear and present danger test used in Schenck v. United States (1919).^[4]

Presidential pardon stands (1925)

In 1920, as a result of the National Prohibition Act, Philip Grossman was convicted of selling liquor out of his place of business. Grossman continued to sell alcohol even after a federal injunction. As a result, he was sentenced to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine. In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge pardoned Grossman. The case came to the Supreme Court in order to decide whether or not the president had the power to commute a sentence for criminal contempt of court. The court unanimously decided that it was a right of the president.^[5]

Police can search a car without a warrant if necessary (1925)

In this case, the Supreme Court determined that it was constitutional to search automobiles without a warrant if there was probable cause or if the vehicle might evade the police before a warrant could be obtained.

Gong Lum v. Rice (1927)

The Supreme Court affirmed Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), holding:^[6]

“	A child of Chinese blood, born in and a citizen of the United States, is not denied the equal protection of the law by being classed by the state among the colored races who are assigned to public schools separate from those provided for the whites when equal facilities for education are afforded to both classes^[7]	”
—Chief Justice William Howard Taft

About the court

See also: Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the country and leads the judicial branch of the federal government. It is often referred to by the acronym SCOTUS.^[8]

The Supreme Court consists of nine justices: the Chief Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justices. The justices are nominated by the president and confirmed with the "advice and consent" of the United States Senate per Article II of the United States Constitution. As federal judges, the justices serve during "good behavior," which means that justices have tenure for life unless they are removed by impeachment and subsequent conviction.^[9]

On January 27, 2022, Justice Stephen Breyer officially announced he would retire at the start of the court's summer recess.^[10]^[11] Breyer assumed senior status on June 30, 2022.^[12] Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to fill the vacancy by the Senate in a 53-47 vote on April 7, 2022.^[13] Click here to read more.

The Supreme Court is the only court established by the United States Constitution (in Article III); all other federal courts are created by Congress.

The Supreme Court meets in Washington, D.C., in the United States Supreme Court building. The Supreme Court's yearly term begins on the first Monday in October and lasts until the first Monday in October the following year. The court generally releases the majority of its decisions in mid-June.^[9]

Number of seats on the Supreme Court over time

See also: History of the Supreme Court

Number of Justices	Set by	Change
Chief Justice + 5 Associate Justices	Judiciary Act of 1789
Chief Justice + 4 Associate Justices	Judiciary Act of 1801 (later repealed)	-1
Chief Justice + 6 Associate Justices	Seventh Circuit Act of 1807	+2
Chief Justice + 8 Associate Justices	Eighth and Ninth Circuits Act of 1837	+2
Chief Justice + 9 Associate Justices	Tenth Circuit Act of 1863	+1
Chief Justice + 6 Associate Justices	Judicial Circuits Act of 1866	-3
Chief Justice + 8 Associate Justices	Judiciary Act of 1869	+2