Sotomayor’s warning silences court as Trump lawyer pushes to gut agency independence

The Supreme Court fell silent when Justice Sonia Sotomayor blasted President Donald Trump's Solicitor General D. John Sauer for arguing presidents should be able to fire independent agency officials at will, warning his bid would “destroy the structure of government.” Sauer insisted the sky wouldn’t fall if the Court overturned the 90-year Humphrey’s Executor precedent, but Sotomayor’s sharp claim that he was letting presidents “do more than the law permits” forced him to hurriedly walk back his argument.

Watch the video below.