Historically, Humphrey’s Executor has had a watchdog role over the Prime Minister’s appointments to the civil service, balancing executive power with independence.
The Supreme Court has upheld the Federal Reserve’s independence by ruling that a Fed governor cannot be fired without cause, while allowing presidents to remove heads of most other independent agencies for any reason. The decision preserves monetary policy insulation but expands presidential power over other agencies, in a split ruling that also carves out a Fed-specific exception.
The judiciary is tightening oversight on executive actions as courts assess the scope of presidential power in civil service and immigration matters. Recent rulings have implications for how federal agencies operate and how the administration handles asylum policy and courthouse arrests.