Smith describes the political ideas of Chief Justice Taney and discusses his contributions to American constitutional law. Taney is revealed as a socially minded jurist who believed in the power of the whole people to regulate the affairs of life for the common good. As a political leader, Taney belongs in the democratic line that runs from Jefferson to Franklin D. Roosevelt; as a jurist he is a forerunner of Holmes and Brandeis. Originally published in 1936.

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