Summary:

Analysis of the December 8, 2025 Supreme Court oral arguments in Trump v. Slaughter, examining how the justices signaled their likely approach to presidential removal power and independent agencies.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Chief Justice Roberts' Strategic Questioning

• Focused on workability and implementation details
• Challenged quality of precedents supporting Slaughter's position
• Unusual volume of questions suggests engagement with Trump's arguments

2. Justice Sotomayor's Stare Decisis Defense

• Mounted strongest defense of Humphrey's Executor (1935)
• Emphasized 90-year precedential history
• Questioned Court's willingness to overturn longstanding constitutional precedent

3. Predicted 6-3 Ruling for Trump

• Court's emergency docket orders already revealed likely outcome
• Three-step analysis: presidential removal power + FTC executive authority + distinguish/overrule Humphrey's

4. Competing Predictions About Impact

• Slaughter's team: regulatory chaos, undermined business planning
• Trump's team: "sky did not fall" in previous agency restructurings

5. The "Faithful Execution" Thread

• Justice Gorsuch's devastating questioning about Take Care Clause
• Exposed contradiction in Slaughter's constitutional theory
• "Ruinous fines" vs. misdemeanor enforcement distinction crumbles

6. The Defense Department Problem

• Congress could restructure Cabinet departments as protected commissions
• Slaughter's logic threatens executive unity across government
• No limiting principle to prevent wholesale agency insulation

Bonus: Trump v. United States Framework

• "Conclusive and preclusive" authority test from immunity case
• Both sides weaponized language for removal power debate
• Constitutional framework that shaped entire argument

Next Episode: Analysis of post-argument developments and decision timeline