Which Chief Justice delivered the Dred Scott decision?

Which Chief Justice delivered the Dred Scott decision?

• A. John Marshall
• B. Roger Taney
• C. Earl Warren
• D. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is recognizing who wrote the Dred Scott decision, a pivotal ruling about citizenship and federal power over slavery. Roger Taney was the Chief Justice from 1836 to 1864 and authored the Dred Scott v. Sandford majority in 1857. In that decision, the Court held that African Americans could not be citizens and therefore had no right to sue in federal courts, and it asserted that Congress could not prohibit slavery in new territories. This connection to Taney’s role on the bench is why he is the correct answer. The other chief justices listed served in different eras and did not author this case: John Marshall in the early republic, Earl Warren in the mid-20th century, and Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. in the late 19th to early 20th century.

The main idea is recognizing who wrote the Dred Scott decision, a pivotal ruling about citizenship and federal power over slavery. Roger Taney was the Chief Justice from 1836 to 1864 and authored the Dred Scott v. Sandford majority in 1857. In that decision, the Court held that African Americans could not be citizens and therefore had no right to sue in federal courts, and it asserted that Congress could not prohibit slavery in new territories. This connection to Taney’s role on the bench is why he is the correct answer. The other chief justices listed served in different eras and did not author this case: John Marshall in the early republic, Earl Warren in the mid-20th century, and Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. in the late 19th to early 20th century.