Trump v. Slaughter · ¶129

The Court’s decision today may take aim at removal protections and, in that way, one part of Wilson’s vision. But, as we have seen, other parts never fully materialized. It was never the case that neutral experts alone led the agencies Congress created. And it was never true that those agencies were entirely insulated from politics or even presidential influence. Nor can the demise of one more vestige of Wilson’s ambitions come as a surprise. As the Court persuasively explains, Myers was right all along and so was President Roosevelt: Humphrey’s did “violence to the basic theory of the American Constitution,” which leaves no room for a “headless ‘fourth branch.’” Roosevelt Committee 36. Instead, those who exercise executive power must be accountable through a “chain of dependence” running from the “lowest officers” to “the President,” and from him to the sovereign American people. 1…

slip opinion, revised 7/07/26
Source edition
Passage preview. Read in context for the complete text, notes and references.