John Quincy Adams was born in the year 1735. He was a respected national leader, lawyer, activist, diplomat, writer, and one of the founding fathers. Adams started his political life as a delegate in the continental congress representing Massachusetts from 1774 to 1777 (“John Adams | Miller Center”). He later became a diplomat after serving in the congress and went to serve in Europe from 1778 – 1788. Adams was one of the leaders in the fight for independence, and he was selected as the first vice president, whereby Adams served for two terms. Adam later became the second president of the USA, where he served for a single term as he faced a brutal battle in his reelection bid in 1800, which he lost to Thomas Jefferson.
Although they were not wealthy, John Adams was born into a comfortable family. His father was a farmer and wanted him to be a clergyman. He later went on to study law from 1756 to 1758 (“John Adams | Miller Center”). Adams started his legal career in Boston. He mixed with the wealthy and educated people, which had a significant impact on his presidency. Adams became a federalist, a party that supported industrialists, bankers, business people, and the affluent society. Adam’s time as a diplomat gave him experience whereby he was in charge of the foreign policy in the USA (Mulford and Carla 232-245). His time as a lawyer had a significant influence on his presidency, where his party was accused of misusing the constitution by enacting draconian laws. John Adams also initiated the alien and sedition act, which targeted the French, but this led to his failure in the reelection campaign of 1800.
Midnight judges is a term coined by the democrat republicans after john Adams who served as president, appointed judges on the edge of his last day in office. The democrat-republicans believed that the president had stayed until midnight to come up with the judges’ list and finish up the paperwork required to effect the appointments (“John Adams | Miller Center”). John Adams made the appointments to ensure that his supporters and friends from the Federalist Party got judicial appointments before leaving office. He believed that they would not get the opportunity in the incoming government led by his political enemy Thomas Jefferson, a democrat republican. There were repercussions from the appointments as it created divisions in the judiciary, some impeachments of the judges and the congress. After the new government came in, the judiciary act was repealed.
The appointed midnight judge got their commissions, but twenty-three of them had been left out. When Thomas Jefferson took office, he found the twenty-three commissions left by Adam (“John Adams | Miller Center”). He only commissioned only twelve and left out eleven who were federalists close to Adam. The probable solution for the issue would have been to follow the due process of law and give the appointed judges their commission. The other solution would be to enact the law to curb any repetition of the issue by the subsequent governments that would come to power. The other probable solution would have been to find merit and the suitability of the judges without minding their political views. The last probable solution could have been to separate judicial powers from the executive and parliament.
Adams decided to appoint the judges to ensure that the federalists get control of the judiciary. The party had lost control after the 1800 elections in the executive and the congress (Mulford and Carla 232-245). The only part of the government that they could hold on to was the judiciary. Adams then appointed the judges on the eve of his last day in office to help ensure that the interests of the federalists were well represented. The incoming government only appointed six democrat republicans and six federalists to ensure a little balance in the judiciary. The decision to repeal the judicial act of 1801was reached to cut back on the implications of cutting the judges to five and increasing courts to protect the federalists who were not enjoying government power.
The decision to appoint the midnight judges had a significant impact on society. It showed that some politicians seek office appointments for their gain (“John Adams | Miller Center”). The appointments also show that some people do not believe in the rule of law and order. Mid-night judge’s appointments also showed the soft underbelly of the judiciary. It showed that the judicial system was subject to political influence and infighting. The significant impact of this on society was creating distrust and disconnect between the society and the judiciary. The actions showed society that the judiciary was open to corruption and manipulation. The mid-night appointments also negatively impacted society by showing a lack of organization in the judiciary hence creating a gap in trust and confidence of the judiciary by the people.
If the decision had to be made today, a president would have a lot to consider. No president or government would want to make this kind of decision. There are a lot of differences between now and before (Mulford and Carla 232-245). There is judicial independence, unlike those years, and also the judiciary is reluctant in showing its political views. Today, the judiciary is more impartial, and appointing friends or loyalists would not have a significant impact. There are a lot of changes in cultural technology, and congress would be reluctant to pass such laws due to public backlash. A current government would not make this decision due to massive political consequences.
Work Cited
“John Adams | Miller Center”. Miller Center, 2022, https://millercenter.org/president/adams
Mulford, Carla J. “John Adams and the Constructions of History.” Reviews in American History 49.2 (2021): 232-245.
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