Historian Jeff Shesol documents FDR's plan to expand the court to 15 justices and to "pack" the new seats with liberals who shared his belief in an expanded version of the Constitution.
Speaker Biography: Jeff Shesol is a founding partner of West Wing Writers, a speechwriting and communications strategy firm, and is author of the book, Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. The Supreme Court. He is an accidental speechwriter. In 1997, President Clinton read "Mutual Contempt," Jeff's book on the Lyndon Johnson-Robert Kennedy feud, and invited Jeff to become a White House speechwriter. During his three years at the White House, Jeff became the Deputy Chief of Presidential Speechwriting, a member of the senior staff, and took the lead in drafting the State of the Union Address, the President's 2000 convention speech, and the Farewell Address. He covered a range of issues -- from global trade and economic development to information technology, the federal budget, and the arts. He also helped lead the President's team of humor writers' a team that produced the Clinton comedy video, "The Final Days." Jeff lives in Washington with his wife, Rebecca, and their two children.