Myers v. United States - Significance, History Of Appointment And Removal Powers, A Former President Defends Presidential Powers, Three Strong Dissents

Myers v. United States - Further Readings

Myers v. United States - Significance

Myers was the first major case that addressed a president's constitutional right to remove executive officials without the consent of Congress. In its decision, the Supreme Court gave the president broad removal powers. In 1876, Congress passed a law giving the Senate the authority to approve the president's appointment and removal of postmasters. In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson named Frank Myer…

Myers v. United States - History Of Appointment And Removal Powers

The Constitution spells out the appointment process, giving the president the power to name ambassadors, judges, and other public officials, with the Senate's approval. But except for impeachment, the Constitution does not address removing appointed officials. In 1789, the first Congress wrestled with this situation as it tried to establish the practical operation of the new federal government. Ja…

Myers v. United States - A Former President Defends Presidential Powers

Chief Justice Taft wrote the Court's decision in Myers. Taft, when he had served as president from 1909-1913, had generally accepted constitutional limits on a president's power. But his decision in this case asserted broad removal powers for the chief executive. Taft used the Decision of 1789 as the foundation for his opinion. He remarked that many of the members of that first Congress had been a…

Myers v. United States - Three Strong Dissents

Each of the three justices who opposed the Myers decision had separate, but similar concerns. Justice McReynolds feared the Court went too far by giving the executive branch independent power to remove federal employees. Congress has constitutional authority to appoint and remove "inferior officers" without the president's input. McReynolds said if Congress could appoint lesser officials, it shoul…

Myers v. United States - William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft (1857-1930) was the only American to hold the offices of president of the United States (1909-13) and chief justice of the Supreme Court (1921-30.) As president, he appointed more Supreme Court justices, proportionately, than anyone before or since: six in a single four-year term. As chief justice of the Supreme Court, he was not noted for his opinions, but he introduced severa…