The Judiciary Act of 1801 allowed Adams to lock the Court organization and numbers and allowed Adams to appoint Federalists to the bench for life.
While it might be convenient to consider Adams action as appropriate or inappropriate, he acted and it changed the Court.
Jefferson was largely opposed to the Supreme Court having oversight over the Executive and the 1801 Act set up the case in Marbury v. Madison wherein Chief Justice Marshall developed the doctrine of judicial review and established the Court's authority over the Executive branch when it determined the Constitutionality of the Executive Branch's actions.
While Adams' actions were blatantly political, they did ensure a check on the Executive branch.