Court strikes down three appointments as unconstitutional
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The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday struck down three of President Barack Obama’s recess appointments, ruling that he violated the constitution by filling temporary vacancies when the Senate was still in session.
The unanimous 9-0 ruling backed Senate Republicans and will limit Obama’s ability to make future appointments.
Obama previously argued that the Senate intentionally tried to obstruct his attempts to make recess appointments, having three-day “brief sessions” during an extended break and creating a resolution that no business would be conducted during that time. The court rejected his argument, stating that the presidential power to make recess appointments only applies to breaks that take place after the end of a full Congressional session and before the start of a new one, rather than those that take place mid-year.
“We must give weight to the Senate’s own determination of when it is and is not in session,” Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in the court’s decision.
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