The Supreme Court: Vinson Court, 1946 to 1953

Vinson Court, 1946 to 1953

When Stone died suddenly in 1946, Fred Vinson was appointed by Roosevelt. He was quickly looked down upon by the other justices because they did not respect his legal abilities. Vinson had been a Congressman and a circuit court judge and was Secretary of the Treasury just before his appointment.

The Vinson Court set the record for the highest number of split decisions to that time in the history of the Court. Only 19 percent of the decisions of his court were unanimous.

In this section, I briefly introduced you the chief justices who served between Marshall and Warren. Next we'll explore some of the great minds of the court who served as associate justices.

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to The Supreme Court © 2004 by Lita Epstein, J.D.. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.