Scott Detrow

In the past month, two federal judges have ordered federal agencies to reinstate thousands of federal employees, including those at USDA. decisions the Trump administration strongly disagrees with and is appealing. And that has led to a stressful state of limbo. For the time being, they have jobs, but only until the appeals process plays out.

It's not clear to the employee we talk to or others whether this is permanent or just another few weeks. The legal back and forths center on questions about the limits of President Trump's power, power that the Trump administration is testing on a number of fronts.

It's not clear to the employee we talk to or others whether this is permanent or just another few weeks. The legal back and forths center on questions about the limits of President Trump's power, power that the Trump administration is testing on a number of fronts.

It's not clear to the employee we talk to or others whether this is permanent or just another few weeks. The legal back and forths center on questions about the limits of President Trump's power, power that the Trump administration is testing on a number of fronts.

After the break, had the unitary executive theory made its way from an idea in the Reagan administration all the way up through the courts? We'll be right back. President Trump's drastic moves to reshape the U.S. government stem from a core idea that the executive branch should enjoy broad, sweeping power.

After the break, had the unitary executive theory made its way from an idea in the Reagan administration all the way up through the courts? We'll be right back. President Trump's drastic moves to reshape the U.S. government stem from a core idea that the executive branch should enjoy broad, sweeping power.

After the break, had the unitary executive theory made its way from an idea in the Reagan administration all the way up through the courts? We'll be right back. President Trump's drastic moves to reshape the U.S. government stem from a core idea that the executive branch should enjoy broad, sweeping power.

It is a power that was expanded by the Supreme Court last summer through its ruling in Trump versus the United States, the immunity case.

It is a power that was expanded by the Supreme Court last summer through its ruling in Trump versus the United States, the immunity case.

It is a power that was expanded by the Supreme Court last summer through its ruling in Trump versus the United States, the immunity case.

The decision came down to a key question that has big implications on topics far beyond the criminal case at the heart of it. When a president does something that is potentially illegal while executing his duties, who or what can regulate his actions? Who can hold him accountable? These questions have come up a lot in the first weeks of Trump's second term in different contexts.

The decision came down to a key question that has big implications on topics far beyond the criminal case at the heart of it. When a president does something that is potentially illegal while executing his duties, who or what can regulate his actions? Who can hold him accountable? These questions have come up a lot in the first weeks of Trump's second term in different contexts.

The decision came down to a key question that has big implications on topics far beyond the criminal case at the heart of it. When a president does something that is potentially illegal while executing his duties, who or what can regulate his actions? Who can hold him accountable? These questions have come up a lot in the first weeks of Trump's second term in different contexts.

from dismantling agencies established by Congress to deporting migrants without due process. President Trump is asserting his power. And one idea that seems to be motivating his actions is the unitary executive theory. But where does this idea come from and how does it relate to the Supreme Court?

from dismantling agencies established by Congress to deporting migrants without due process. President Trump is asserting his power. And one idea that seems to be motivating his actions is the unitary executive theory. But where does this idea come from and how does it relate to the Supreme Court?

from dismantling agencies established by Congress to deporting migrants without due process. President Trump is asserting his power. And one idea that seems to be motivating his actions is the unitary executive theory. But where does this idea come from and how does it relate to the Supreme Court?

That's Amanda Holos-Bruski. She's a politics professor at Pomona College, where she teaches classes about the Supreme Court. The theory started to gain traction and developed in the Reagan administration among a group of young attorneys in the Justice Department who thought the presidency had recently been weakened.

That's Amanda Holos-Bruski. She's a politics professor at Pomona College, where she teaches classes about the Supreme Court. The theory started to gain traction and developed in the Reagan administration among a group of young attorneys in the Justice Department who thought the presidency had recently been weakened.

That's Amanda Holos-Bruski. She's a politics professor at Pomona College, where she teaches classes about the Supreme Court. The theory started to gain traction and developed in the Reagan administration among a group of young attorneys in the Justice Department who thought the presidency had recently been weakened.

Charles Cooper was Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Reagan administration.