‍In a stunning expansion of presidential powers, the Supreme Court in Trump v. Slaughter overruled a ninety-year-old precedent and held that Congress cannot limit the President’s power to remove heads of federal agencies. This is a major lessening of checks and balances and again shows the six conservative justices’ disregard for even long-standing precedents. In this essay, I initially summarize Humphrey’s Executor, which was overruled in Trump v. Slaughter, and its progeny, before examining the consequences of its overruling in Slaughter, particularly as it relates to presidential power.

For conservatives, what I have described is an occasion for great celebration. They have succeeded in their goal of a very conservative Court. For liberals, like me, the challenge is enormous. No longer can we imagine the Court as a possibility for progressive change. We must look to state courts and the political process for that, while fearing how the Court will strike down progressive federal, state, and local laws…

First, what can and can’t the government do in restricting liberties to stop the spread of COVID-19? Second, what is the respective constitutional authority of the federal and state governments in dealing with the pandemic?