Question

What role did roger B. Taney play in determining whether or not slaves could sue in the courts?

Answer 1

He delivered the majority opinion in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Answer 2

Roger B. Taney delivered the majority opinion in the case Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857).

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court. It held that black people whose ancestors were imported into the U.S., whether enslaved of free, could not be American citizens. Therefore, they could not sue in federal court. Moreover, it ruled that the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the territories acquired after the creation of the United States.