The Trial of Judge David Todd

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David Todd was Missouri’s First Judicial Circuit Court Judge. Judge Todd was also a John Quincy Adams supporter. Missouri in 1828 was a Jacksonians state. The Jacksonians was a term that defined supporters of Andrew Jackson who had won the presidential election of 1828. Jackson had also received a large number of the votes in Missouri which in turn gave many of Jackson’s supporters the majority in the General Assembly. Jackson and his supporters believed that the U.S. Supreme Court was a tool used in creating a strong federal government which took away powers from the states, an ideology that Adams and his supporters fully supported. This was unacceptable according to President Jackson and the Jacksonians which called for judiciary reform. With President Jackson firmly positioned in the White House this gave the Jacksonians the opportunity to seek such reforms. The Jacksonians first political action in Missouri was to limit federal judges’ terms in office and to make it harder for them to overturn state and congressional legislation. The Jacksonians second plan of attack was to remove John Adam’s supporter Judge David Todd from judiciary office. In this paper I will discuss the events that led to the impeachment trials of Judge David Todd as well as the outcome. I will also show how the political parties of the past used personal vendettas as political gain against their adversaries. President James Monroe picked David Todd in 1817 to head as territorial judge of Missouri. Todd remained in this position until Missouri joined the union in 1821. Alexander McNair, Missouri’s first Governor, appointed Judge Todd to the First Judicial Circuit Court. Judge Todd was also a big supporter of John Quincy Adams nomination for the president of the United States in 1824. One year later Judge Todd was nominated for governor and ran against John Miller, a Jacksonian supporter. I

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