ABSTRACT
Charles Evans Hughes had a long career that included service both in elected office and as a US Supreme Court justice. Hughes's political career began when he was elected the Republican governor of New York in 1906, defeating William Randolph Hearst, and became a close friend of President Theodore Roosevelt. The conflict between the justices and the president centered on Roosevelt's New Deal and the programs he created to end the Great Depression. The New Deal was the first time the federal government attempted to run the economy using its powers to regulate interstate commerce, tax, spend, and coin money. Working with the president's opponents in Congress, Hughes presented evidence that the Court was deciding cases at a rapid pace and that additional justices would only slow the Court's work.
