Roger B. Taney Bust - Frederick, Maryland

thingiverse

Roger Brooke Taney served as fifth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Nominated by Andrew Jackson, Taney is most notable for his ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford. In this landmark decision, Taney declared that African-Americans in America were not entitled to citizenship: "They had been considered beings of an inferior class for more than a century and were deemed unfit to associate with whites in social or political matters; therefore, they possessed no rights that the white man was obligated to respect; hence, it was justifiable to reduce them to slavery for their own benefit." Prior to his judicial career, Taney practiced law between 1801 and 1823 in Frederick, Maryland, where he owned property and held prominent positions in local organizations. In 1931, a bust of Taney was installed outside the then-Frederick County courthouse. However, city officials have taken steps to relocate the statue of the pro-slavery lawyer and judge.