A Changed Court

Abstract

On June 10, 1916, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes resigned from the Court so that he could campaign full-time for the Presidency of the United States on the Republican ticket. The move turned out, eventually, to be a double blessing for sitting President Woodrow Wilson of the Democratic Party. First, in the summer, Wilson nominated John H. Clarke — like Wilson, a Democrat and a Progressive — to replace Hughes at the Court. Clarke was promptly confirmed and commissioned, and he took office on July 24. Second, in the autumn, Wilson ran for reelection and defeated Hughes on November 7. And it was, in addition, a busy year for speculation, staff changes, and sentimental expressions at the Court.

Keywords: Bickel, William R. Day, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Joseph McKenna, Willis Van Devanter, Mahlon Pitney, James McReynolds, Louis Brandeis, Joseph Lamar, William Howard Taft, Golf, John Marshall Harlan, Chevy Chase, Influenza