The aim of FDR's Court Packing Scheme was to:

• A. Increase the number of Supreme Court justices sympathetic to New Deal policies
• B. Move the Supreme Court to Washington, D.C.
• C. Abolish the Supreme Court
• D. Increase taxes on the poor

Answer: (A)

FDR’s aim was to tilt the Supreme Court in favor of his New Deal programs by expanding the size of the Court so more justices who supported his policies could be appointed. At that time, several New Deal measures were being struck down or limited by the Court, creating a sense that the justices were blocking the president’s reforms. By proposing to add new justices for each sitting justice aged 70 or older who wouldn’t retire, he hoped to shift the balance toward justices more sympathetic to his agenda, potentially allowing more of his programs to survive legal challenges. This isn’t about moving the Court, abolishing it, or changing tax policy, but about changing who sits on the Court and thereby influencing its decisions. While the plan did not pass, it put pressure on the Court and is often linked to a more favorable climate for later New Deal rulings.