Trump v. Slaughter · ¶39

And so did Jackson—much to Congress’s dismay. Unlike his predecessors, who (except for Jefferson) utilized their removal power sparingly, Jackson fired hundreds “of subordinates for personal and partisan reasons.” L. White, The Jacksonians: A Study in Administrative History, 1829– 1861, p. 33 (1954) (White); see also id., at 307–308. But even Jackson’s most vehement critics acknowledged that he had the power to do as he pleased. “I consider it . . . a settled point,” Senator Daniel Webster said, “settled by construction, settled by precedent, settled by the practice of the Government, and settled by statute.” 11 Cong. Deb. 461 (1835). When Webster tried to unsettle the Decision of 1789 through new legislation, the effort failed, only further cementing the President’s power. See White 41–44. As Web- ster—still in the Senate—put it 15 years later:

slip opinion, revised 7/07/26
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