Part 8/12:
If Humphrey’s decision is overturned, presidents of any political stripe would finally regain the power to fire commissioners and bureaucrats at will, for any reason or no reason at all. This would effectively dissolve the “independent” bureaucracies, which have operated with substantial autonomy for nearly a century.
The implications extend beyond legal technicalities—they threaten to reshape the entire administrative framework of the U.S. government. The administrative agencies' century-long shield from presidential control would be lifted, ushering in an era where executive authority is clear and accountable—a return to the constitutional separation of powers envisioned by the founders.