During
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
's term in office, no vacancy occurred on the
Supreme Court of the United States. He thus became the first president since
Andrew Johnson and the fourth president overall (after
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...
,
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...
and Johnson) to complete his term without making any appointments to the Supreme Court. Because these other presidents either died in office or assumed the presidency because of an intra-term vacancy, Carter is the only US president to serve a single full term without getting to appoint a Justice.
Politics
As president, Carter actively sought to burnish his standing among
women's rights
Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
groups by using the power of appointment provided by his office.
By the end of his term, Carter had appointed forty-one of the forty-six women serving as federal judges and three of the six women ever to have served as full
Cabinet members.
[ One of these Cabinet members was ]Shirley Hufstedler
Shirley Ann Mount Hufstedler (August 24, 1925 – March 30, 2016) was an American attorney and judge who served as the first United States secretary of education from 1979 to 1981. She previously served as a United States circuit judge of the Uni ...
, who in 1979 resigned her seat on Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts:
* District ...
to serve as head of the newly created Department of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
.[Federal Judicial Center page on Shirley Ann Mount Hufstedler]
, ''fjc.gov''. According to White House officials, Hufstedler received assurances that accepting the Cabinet position would not preclude her from being nominated to the Supreme Court.
Names mentioned
Following is a list of individuals who were mentioned in various news accounts and books as having been considered by Carter for a Supreme Court appointment:
Executive Branch officials
* Shirley Hufstedler
Shirley Ann Mount Hufstedler (August 24, 1925 – March 30, 2016) was an American attorney and judge who served as the first United States secretary of education from 1979 to 1981. She previously served as a United States circuit judge of the Uni ...
(1925-2016) – United States Secretary of Education
The United States secretary of education is the head of the U.S. Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on policies, programs, and activities re ...
; former Judge, Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts:
* District ...
[
]
Other backgrounds
* Charles H. Kirbo (1917-1996) – Private attorney[
]
See also
* United States federal judge
In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. ...
* Judicial appointment history for United States federal courts
The appointment of federal judges for United States federal courts is done via nomination by the President of the United States and confirmation by the United States Senate. The tables below provide the composition of all Article III courts which i ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Jimmy, Supreme Court candidates
United States Supreme Court candidates by president
Supreme Court candidates