Can the President Fire Anyone? SCOTUS Hears Arguments in Trump v. Slaughter

E11 - Can the President Fire Anyone? SCOTUS Hears Arguments in Trump v. Slaughter

Published: December 10, 2025

Duration: 34:35

Richard Epstein does a deep into the Supreme Court’s latest showdown: Trump v. Slaughter, a case that could redefine presidential removal power and the future of independent agencies like the FTC. Epstein walks through the constitutional history — from the Founding to Humphrey’s Executor to modern administrative courts — and explains how the Court’s interpretation of Article II has evolved, splintered, and in some cases contradicted itself. The conversation covers everything from the steel-seizure precedent to the Federal Reserve, the structure of the administrative state, and the unresolved tension between originalism and the practical realities of modern governance. Epstein explains why...