Four Horsemen (Supreme Court)

E140386

The Four Horsemen (Supreme Court) were a bloc of four conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1930s known for striking down key New Deal legislation.

All labels observed (4)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf bloc of justices ⓘ
judicial faction ⓘ
activeDuring 1930s ⓘ
alignedWith conservative wing of the Supreme Court ⓘ
appliesToJurisdiction Supreme Court of the United States ⓘ
basedOn conservative interpretation of the U.S. Constitution ⓘ
branchOfGovernment judicial branch ⓘ
country United States ⓘ
courtEra Hughes Court ⓘ
fieldOfWork administrative law ⓘ
constitutional law ⓘ
hasPart McReynolds–Sutherland–Van Devanter–Butler voting bloc ⓘ
historicalContext Franklin D. Roosevelt administration ⓘ
Great Depression ⓘ
ideology conservatism ⓘ
influencedEvent Roosevelt's court-packing plan ⓘ
judicialPhilosophy laissez-faire constitutionalism ⓘ
strong protection of freedom of contract ⓘ
knownAs Four Horsemen ⓘ
languageOfWork English ⓘ
member George Sutherland ⓘ
James Clark McReynolds ⓘ
Pierce Butler ⓘ
Willis Van Devanter ⓘ
namedAfter Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ⓘ
notableFor striking down New Deal legislation ⓘ
numberOfMembers 4 ⓘ
opposedBy Three Musketeers (Supreme Court) ⓘ
liberal justices of the Hughes Court ⓘ
opposedConcept broad federal police power ⓘ
broad reading of Commerce Clause ⓘ
opposedExpansionOf federal regulatory power ⓘ
state economic regulation in some cases ⓘ
opposedPolicy New Deal ⓘ
opposedPresidencyOf Franklin D. Roosevelt in economic policy cases ⓘ
positionOnNewDeal opposed key New Deal legislation ⓘ
significantIn constitutional crisis over New Deal ⓘ
supportedConcept freedom of contract ⓘ
limited federal government ⓘ
property rights ⓘ
timePeriodEnd late 1930s ⓘ
timePeriodStart 1932 ⓘ
typicalVote struck down economic regulations ⓘ
usedDoctrine limited interpretation of Commerce Clause ⓘ
substantive due process ⓘ
votingPattern consistently conservative on economic regulation ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

George Sutherland → partOf → Four Horsemen (Supreme Court) ⓘ
Pierce Butler → partOf → Four Horsemen (Supreme Court) ⓘ
subject linked to: Justice Pierce Butler
George Sutherland → partOf → Four Horsemen (conservative bloc on the U.S. Supreme Court) ⓘ
subject linked to: Justice George Sutherland
linked to: Four Horsemen (Supreme Court)
Willis Van Devanter → partOf → Four Horsemen (U.S. Supreme Court) ⓘ
subject linked to: Justice Willis Van Devanter
linked to: Four Horsemen (Supreme Court)
Willis Van Devanter → partOf → Four Horsemen (Supreme Court) ⓘ
James Clark McReynolds → partOf → Four Horsemen (Supreme Court) ⓘ
linked to: Four Horsemen (Supreme Court)
Willis Van Devanter → memberOf → Four Horsemen (Supreme Court) ⓘ
subject linked to: Van Devanter
Three Musketeers (Supreme Court) → opposedBy → Four Horsemen (Supreme Court) ⓘ