15812. SUPREME COURT DECISIONS AND THE SHIFT IN POLITICAL POWER IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY. This paper looks at how Supreme Court decisions of the 19th century contributed to giving the federal government more regulatory control while at the same time increasing the economic power of industry and big business. In addition, some of the decisions resulted in creating a more powerful position for the Supreme Court itself. KEYWORDS: Supreme Court history 19th century major decisions federal government big business. 6 pages; 19 footnotes; 4 bibliographic sources. 1,419 words.