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Rob’s Harvard Article on “Recess Appointments” Is Published—and Goes to the Supreme Court

2013-0822 RGN

Last May, I reported that litigation over President Obama’s “recess appointments” was going to the Supreme Court. In fact, oral argument was held a few weeks ago.

The Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy has just published my article on the original meaning of the Recess Appointments Clause. It reports that the Constitution uses the term “the Recess” to refer only to formal breaks between sessions of the Senate, not to informal intra-session breaks. It also reports that a vacancy “happens” only when it is created during the Recess. It is not sufficient for the vacancy to be created when the Senate is in session and then continue into the recess.

These conclusions are based on detailed, impartial, study of Founding-Era legislative and other governmental practice—apparently the first article on this topic to report the results of such a study.

This article was cited to the Supreme Court both in the Independence Institute’s amicus brief on the case, and by at least one of the parties. You can find it here.

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Rob Natelson
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