Prof. Kristin Hickman Interviewed by Los Angeles Times About Supreme Court Ruling on Removing Independent Agency Members

Prof. Kristin Hickman was interviewed by the Los Angeles Times about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Slaughter that allows the president to remove members of historically independent agencies without cause. The ruling has raised concerns about the future credibility of agencies that serve crucial public functions, from the Securities and Exchange Commission, which protects investors, to the National Labor Relations Board, which safeguards the rights of private-sector workers. But Prof. Hickman characterized public reaction to the ruling as “overblown.” She said, “Frankly, I don’ know if their function is going to be all that different. Statutorily, they still have to have members that are divided by party. Their statutory responsibilities don’t change. The president has always had the authority to change who serves as the chair of the agency upon coming into office.” She added, “On the one hand, doctrinally, Slaughter is a shift. You’e overruling a 90-year-old precedent. On the other hand, it’s not clear to me that the everyday functioning of these agencies will change dramatically.”