Roger Brooke Taney (March 17 1777 – October 12 1864) was a Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He came after John Marshall and despite the many influential things done by his predecessor, still was able to write several major opinions. His decision in Dred Scott to send a slave living in a free state back to his master in a slave state canceled out several compromises that had been keeping the Union together. When president Abraham Lincoln began using powers not normally given to the presidency to put certain rights on hold, Taney kept on trying to overrule him. These attempts were ignored and rumored to have almost led to Taney's arrest.