Biden Signs Bill to Remove Bust of Dred Scott Decision’s Author

A marble bust of Chief Justice Roger Taney is displayed in the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on March 9, 2020. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

President Joe Biden signed a bill on Dec. 28 to remove the bust of former Supreme Court Justice Roger Taney, author of the 1857 Dred Scott Decision, and replace it with one of Thurgood Marshall, the first black Supreme Court justice.

Democrats had called for taking down Taney’s bust since 2020, when House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Rep. David Trone—both from Taney’s home state of Maryland—debuted the legislation. That bill passed through the House in 2021 but did not advance past the Senate, which at the time was controlled by Republicans.