Which President is correctly associated with the appointment of the midnight judges?

Which President is correctly associated with the appointment of the midnight judges?

• A. John Adams
• B. Thomas Jefferson
• C. James Madison
• D. George Washington

Answer: (A)

Midnight judges refers to the last-minute judicial appointments made by John Adams in 1801. In the final days of his presidency, Adams pushed through the Judiciary Act of 1801 to create new federal judgeships and signed commissions for many Federalist supporters, often late at night—the reason they’re called “midnight” appointments. When Thomas Jefferson took office, his administration contested several of those commissions, and James Madison, as secretary of state, refused to deliver some of them, leading to the famous Marbury v. Madison case that helped establish judicial review. So, the president most closely associated with this practice is John Adams. Washington had held office earlier, and Jefferson and Madison were involved in the ensuing dispute, not the act of creating these late-night appointments themselves.

Midnight judges refers to the last-minute judicial appointments made by John Adams in 1801. In the final days of his presidency, Adams pushed through the Judiciary Act of 1801 to create new federal judgeships and signed commissions for many Federalist supporters, often late at night—the reason they’re called “midnight” appointments. When Thomas Jefferson took office, his administration contested several of those commissions, and James Madison, as secretary of state, refused to deliver some of them, leading to the famous Marbury v. Madison case that helped establish judicial review.

So, the president most closely associated with this practice is John Adams. Washington had held office earlier, and Jefferson and Madison were involved in the ensuing dispute, not the act of creating these late-night appointments themselves.