Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson argued that the president of the United States should not be able to fire government experts such as scientists, doctors, economists, and PhDs, and she claimed it is “not in the best interest” of American citizens.
During oral arguments for Trump v. Slaughter, while talking to U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer, Jackson said she did “not understand” why “agencies aren’t answering to Congress.” Jackson pointed out that “Congress established them and can eliminate them.”
The oral arguments come after the Supreme Court, in September, allowed President Donald Trump to remove Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, the former Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
“I really don’t understand why the agencies aren’t answering to Congress,” Jackson said. “Congress established them and can eliminate them. Congress funds them, and can stop. So, to the extent that we’re concerned that there’s some sort of entity that is out of control and has no control, I guess I don’t understand that argument.”
“We would say the Constitutional actor on the hypothetical who is controlling these agencies is Congress, and that is a huge separation of powers,” Sauer argued, as Jackson informed him that she understood.
Jackson continued to point out that Sauer’s arguments “seem to revolve around” the idea that there is “some kind of thing happening with the independent agency, that the reason why the president needs to control it is because they don’t answer to anybody.”
Hellbound and Down 