Elizabeth Jo

speaker

2,299 appearances 6 recordings 1 series first heard Jun 2025 last heard 27 Mar

Elizabeth Jo’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

Trend

recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 4 in all, peaking in Mar 2026 with 1.

Appearances

newest first · ▶ plays the moment

99% Invisible · Constitution Breakdown #5: Dr. Tom Frieden · 26 Dec 2025 podcast

He held a position that could be fired by the president for any reason, any reason at all.

I don't agree with you or I just don't like you personally.

Now, historically, Congress has passed laws to protect some officials in the executive branch from being fired by the president.

For any reason at all.

In another word, they would say, well, this kind of person can only be fired or removed for certain reasons, like they're convicted of a crime or they are obviously incompetent, right?

So this happens when Congress has decided it would be a good idea for this official to have some independence, to be able to stay in their position, even if the current president disagrees with them.

And the constitutional issue is whether that interferes with the president's article two authority.

This matters now because the Roberts Court has been chipping away at this idea of protecting these folks and giving the president more control over the executive branch.

And disagreeing with Congress, providing these folks with some protections.

So for instance, in twenty twenty, the Supreme Court decided that Congress's attempt to protect the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

By restricting the reasons for the present being able to fire them.

Was an unconstitutional interference with the president's authority.

So, in plain English, after this case, which is called SEAL law.

The president can fire the CFPB director for any reason at all.

And that's why on February first of this year, Trump fired Rohi Chopra, who had been appointed by Biden and confirmed by the Senate.

Just don't like you, you're gone.

So that's despite what Congress had tried to do, try to protect this person because they should have some independence in uh, you know, it creating the rules and enforcing the regulations to help consumers.

Right,

And now the Supreme Court is definitely not done with this issue.

This Supreme Court is now considering what is very likely going to be a very important case.

Showing 701–720 of 2,299 · page 36 of 115