Roger B. Taney
| Roger Brooke Taney | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Former Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court From: March 15, 1836 – October 12, 1864 | |||
| Nominator | Andrew Jackson | ||
| Predecessor | John Marshall | ||
| Successor | Salmon Chase | ||
| 12th United States Secretary of the Treasury From: September 23, 1833 – June 25, 1834 | |||
| President | Andrew Jackson | ||
| Predecessor | William Duane | ||
| Successor | Levi Woodbury | ||
| 11th Attorney General of the United States From: July 20, 1831 – November 14, 1833 | |||
| President | Andrew Jackson | ||
| Predecessor | John Berrien | ||
| Successor | Benjamin Butler | ||
| Acting United States Secretary of War From: June 18, 1831 – August 1, 1831 | |||
| President | Andrew Jackson | ||
| Predecessor | John Eaton | ||
| Successor | Lewis Cass | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Democrat | ||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||
Roger Brooke Taney was the Fifth Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court (1836-1864) succeeding John Marshall and preceding Salmon P. Chase. A southerner, he was nominated for the Supreme Court by Democratic party president Andrew Jackson.
Chief Justice Taney is most famous for the decision he wrote in Dred Scott v. Sanford, widely recognized to be one of the worst judicial decisions in history. It declared African Americans lacked rights of legal process and citizenship, and it rendered multiple slavery compromises void. This decision inflamed the dispute over slavery and was a significant cause the American Civil War.
Prior to being elevated to the Court, Chief Justice Taney was Jackson's Secretary of the Treasury and Attorney General. A statue of Taney was removed from the grounds of the Maryland State House on August 17, 2017.
