Why did Franklin Roosevelt propose expanding the number of Supreme Court justices?

• A. He recognized that the workload of the Supreme Court was becoming unbearable and wanted to spread the work among additional justices.
• B. He was concerned that several justices were too old to serve on the Supreme Court but was concerned about his image if he simply fired justices due to their age.
• C. He wanted to ensure that there would be an odd number of Supreme Court justices so that fewer decisions would end in a tie vote.
• D. He was unhappy with recent Supreme Court decisions and wanted to change the composition of the Court so that it would be more sympathetic to his policies.

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that Roosevelt framed his proposal as a practical fix for a heavy workload in an overworked Supreme Court. By expanding the number of justices, he could distribute the caseload more evenly and speed up decision-making. In addition, adding new justices would make it easier for him to place appointees who supported his New Deal programs, though the public justification centered on efficiency and modernizing the Court rather than on political maneuvering. The other choices miss that primary justification: aging or image concerns were not the central rationale, the odd-numbered safeguard isn’t the core issue in this context, and while outcomes aligned with his policies, the official motive emphasized workload relief.