Answer:
Although the New Deal was popular, the Supreme Court saw things differently. In January 1936, it declared the Agricultural Adjustment Act unconstitutional. Cases pending on Social Security and the Wagner Act meant that the Court might strike down other New Deal programs. Roosevelt was furious. After his reelection, he tried to change the Court's political balance. He sent Congress a bill that would increase the number of justices and allow the president to appoint an additional justice if a sitting justice who had served 10 years did not retire within six months of reaching age 70. The bill, if passed, would have allowed Roosevelt to appoint up to six new justices. The court-packing plan, as it was called, was a major political mistake. Many Southern Democrats feared new justices would overturn segregation. African American leaders worried future justices might oppose civil rights. Many Americans thought the plan gave the president too much power. The Court appeared to back down, narrowly upholding the constitutionality of both the Wagner Act and the Social Security Act. Soon after, a conservative justice's resignation allowed Roosevelt to appoint a justice who supported the New Deal. Although the bill was quietly killed and Roosevelt achieved his goal of changing the Court's view of the New Deal, the court-packing plan hurt his reputation. Moreover, it caused conservative Democrats to work with Republicans to block any further New Deal proposals.
Explanation:
