Episode notes
Having laid out why independent agencies exist, Gwen and Marc turn to the harder question: what happens when a president decides he wants someone gone? This episode unpacks the constitutional and political fault lines around the president’s removal power — and why the ability to “fire the referee” is one of the most dangerous pressures in modern governance.
The episode opens on the youth soccer field, where a bad call might enrage parents but doesn’t justify firing the ref mid-game. Gwen uses that intuitive norm to pivot into the most infamous political version of the same problem: the Saturday Night Massacre, when Nixon tried to purge the special prosecutor investigating him. The result wasn’t just chaos at DOJ — it was a national lesson in why removing investigators for doing their jobs destroys public trust.
From there, Gwen and Ma ...
Keywords
Humphrey’s Executor Seila Law Unitary Executive TheoryRemoval PowerMorrison v. OlsonMyersMalfeasance / Neglect / InefficiencyFor-Cause Protections