United States Court of Claims facts for kids

The Court of Claims was a special court in the United States. It was created to hear money-related complaints against the U.S. government. Think of it as a place where people or groups could sue the government for money they believed they were owed.

This court started in 1855. Later, in 1948, its name changed to the United States Court of Claims. It was eventually closed down in 1982. After that, its jobs were taken over by two new courts: the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Claims Court. The Claims Court later became known as the Court of Federal Claims.

Before this court existed, people usually had to ask Congress directly for money if they thought the government owed them something. This became too much work for Congress. So, the Court of Claims was created to handle these money claims. It dealt with claims based on laws, rules, or government contracts. The Court would then tell Congress its findings and prepare bills for payments. Congress still had to approve these payments, but they usually did so without much fuss.

The Court first had three judges. These judges were appointed for life. They could also choose special helpers called commissioners. These commissioners would gather information and evidence. The government had a lawyer, called a solicitor, to represent it in the Court.

How the Court of Claims Began

The Court of Claims was set up in 1855. Its main job was to handle claims against the U.S. government. Many of these first claims came from soldiers who fought in the Mexican–American War.

At first, the court met in a hotel called the Willard Hotel. This was from May to June 1855. Then, it moved to the U.S. Capitol building. It met in the Supreme Court's old room in the Capitol's basement. Later, it got its own space.

In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln asked Congress to give the court more power. He wanted the court to make final decisions. Congress agreed with a law passed in 1863. This law also allowed people to appeal the court's decisions to the Supreme Court.

However, the new law also changed things. The Court of Claims had to send its reports and bills to the Department of the Treasury. Before, they went straight to Congress. This meant the Treasury Department would review the court's decisions.

A Conflict of Power

This new rule caused a problem. In 1864, a case called Gordon v. United States went to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court said it couldn't hear the case. Why? Because the Court of Claims' decisions could be reviewed by an executive department (the Treasury). This meant the Court of Claims wasn't truly independent.

Less than a year later, Congress fixed this. They passed a law that removed the Treasury Department's power to review the Court of Claims' decisions. This made the Court of Claims more independent.

The Tucker Act and More Claims

In 1887, Congress passed an important law called the Tucker Act. This law made it harder to send claims directly to Congress. Instead, most claims had to go to the Court of Claims.

The Tucker Act also gave the court more types of cases to hear. It could now hear "claims founded upon the Constitution." This was a big change. For example, if the government took private land for public use, people could sue for fair payment. This is called eminent domain and is covered by the Fifth Amendment. The Tucker Act also allowed people to sue the government for tax refunds.

French Spoliation Claims

There was a long-standing issue called "French Spoliation Claims." These were claims for damages to American ships. This happened during a period of conflict with France from 1793 to 1800, known as the Quasi-War. The U.S. later gave up these claims against France in a treaty.

Because the claims against France were gone, people kept asking Congress for help. Finally, in 1885, a law was passed. This law allowed the Court of Claims to hear these "French Spoliation Claims." These cases continued in the court until 1915.

In 1925, the Court of Claims changed again. Congress allowed the court to hire seven commissioners. These commissioners would listen to evidence and report their findings. The judges would then review these findings.

Judges' Salaries and Court Status

In 1932, Congress cut the salaries of the Court of Claims judges. This was part of a larger budget law. One judge, Thomas Sutler Williams, sued the government. He argued that the Constitution said judges' salaries could not be cut.

In 1933, the Supreme Court ruled on Williams v. United States. The Supreme Court said that the Court of Claims was a "legislative court." This meant it was created by Congress, not directly by the Constitution. So, Congress had the power to reduce the judges' salaries.

Later, in 1948, Congress allowed commissioners to make recommendations about legal conclusions. Chief Judge Wilson Cowen made this a required rule in 1964.

Becoming an Article III Court

On July 28, 1953, Congress passed a law to change the Court of Claims. It became an "Article III" court. This meant it was now considered a more independent part of the judicial branch, like other federal courts. The number of commissioners also increased to 15.

Even with this change, there was still some confusion. A judge named J. Warren Madden was helping out in another court. One of the parties in a case argued that Madden wasn't a valid judge. The case went to the Supreme Court.

In Glidden Co. v. Zdanok, the Supreme Court decided that the Court of Claims was indeed a proper Article III court. This meant its judges could help out in other federal courts.

However, this change also had an interesting side effect. As an independent court, the judges could no longer give advice to Congress. This was a problem because they used to hear "Congressional reference cases" (cases sent by Congress for advice). To fix this, Congress passed a law in 1966. It allowed the court's trial judges to hear these cases.

Two more judges were added to the court in 1966, bringing the total to seven.

In 1978, Congress closed the Indian Claims Commission. Any cases still open there were moved to the Court of Claims. Many of these were complex cases about money owed to Native American tribes. One very famous case was United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians. This case eventually went to the Supreme Court. It involved a large payment to the Sioux Nation. It also raised interesting questions about how much power courts have and if Congress can allow a case to be heard again even if it was already decided.

The Court's End

In 1982, Congress decided to close the Court of Claims. Its responsibilities were split between two new courts. The part of its job that involved holding trials went to the new United States Claims Court. This court is now called the United States Court of Federal Claims. The part of its job that involved hearing appeals went to the equally new United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

By the time it closed, the Court of Claims had seven judges. These judges were then transferred to the new Federal Circuit court.