America in the 1850sThe Supreme Court Decides |
What was the Supreme Court’s decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford? |
The physician who previously owned Dred Scott had passed away; the court case was therefore named for the plaintiff and for the heirs of the physician’s estate.

Roger Taney was chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1836 to 1864, including presiding over the Dred Scott case.