For He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things. – Psalm 107:9
Congress established the U.S. Court of Claims on this day in 1855. President Franklin Pierce signed the law that formed this agency to hear private monetary claims against the U.S. Over the years, this department experienced many changes in size, name, procedures, and range of jurisdiction, being referred to as the “keeper of the nation’s conscience” and “the People’s Court.” The department did not originally have the judicial power to deliver concluding judgments. However, in 1866, this issue was resolved in response to Abraham Lincoln’s 1861 Annual Message to Congress. As this department continued to develop, it increased from five judges to sixteen by 1977. Congress replaced the court with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in 1982.
As the Lord leads, pray with us…
- For judges at all levels of the federal judiciary to render decisions and rulings impartially and according to the law.
- For the president and his advisors as they determine who to nominate to positions on the federal bench.
