Supreme Court. FDR was concerned that he conservative Supreme Court might look to strike down his New Deal era policies. His motive was the shaping of the ideological balance of the court. The way he would go about this was he solution was to propose the expansion of the number of Supreme Court justices.The proposed bill would have added one justice for each justice over the age of 70. The plan was widely and vehemently criticized, the elites viewed the proposed bill as an undemocratic power grab. However, for reasons historians still don’t quite understand, shortly after FDR made the plan public, the Court upheld several government regulations it had formerly found unconstitutional. Many have attributed this and similar decisions to a politically motivated change of heart on the part of Justice Owen Roberts. Some legal scholars have rejected this narrative, however, asserting that Roberts’ 1937 decisions were not motivated by Roosevelt’s proposal and can instead be reconciled with his prior jurisprudence. This shifted the majority to favour federal welfare and regulatory enactments. Ultimately by 1942, all but two of the supreme court justices were Roosevelt appointees. Despite the legislative gridlock FDR found himself embroiled in, there was a lot of decisive legislation passed. The creation of the US housing authority provided homes for thousands of Americans. For FDR, more Americans owning more homes meant more consumption, more tax revenue. The Fair Labour Standards Act set employment standards for companies who’s business transcended state boundaries. This meant that corporations had to respect a 40 hour work week, as well as pay a living minimum wage. Perhaps most crucially the act called for the end of child labour. Unfortunately, this only applied to those employed in interstate corporations; domestic servants, agricultural workers, and service employees were not protected. It is only when things start to unfold in Europe that FDR can reconstitute himself as the leader of the people in a time of need.

On the cusp of World War Two FDR runs against and defeats Wendell Wilkie, the Republican nominee for president. This election is key not only due to the events taking place in Europe, but also because of the fact that FDR has now gone against the precedent set by George Washington. Despite heavy campaigning the r