The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that though the president does have the authority to make temporary recess appointments, Congress can stymie that power by declining to go on break.
In a unanimous decision, the court said the president had overstepped his authority in 2012 by appointing new members to the National Labor Relations Board while Congress was in a pro forma recess — essentially a ceremonial session. Republicans held a such a session over the legislature's winter break specifically to block recess appointments, though Obama tried to squeeze in his picks anyway, arguing that a pro forma session was more or less a recess.
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