When did Taft land his dream job? Political Positions Read more from Chapter William Howard Taft

In 1921, President Warren G. Harding nominated Taft to become the nation’s Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Senate confirmed him the very same day he was nominated by an overwhelming vote of sixty to four. He served as Chief Justice for nine years until his death in 1930. He wrote more than 250 opinions during his career. Even more importantly, he showed great leadership of the Court. He successfully lobbied Congress for the Judiciary Act of 1925, which gave the Court greater control over its docket. He also managed to convince Congress to create more than twenty new federal judgeships. Finally, he used his political influence to help convince Congress that the Court needed a better location. Many members of the U.S. Supreme Court have praised Taft for his work as an effective administrator of the federal judiciary.