Supreme Court Flexes on Presidential Power: But Hands Off the Fed! (Phew!)

Move Fast and Break...Precedent?

Okay folks Zuck here. Let's talk about this Supreme Court kerfuffle. Apparently they're cool with a president firing some peeps on the NLRB and MSPB – Gwynne Wilcox and Cathy Harris you're in my thoughts – but they're hinting the Federal Reserve is like untouchable. It's like saying you can break things just not *my* things. Remember 'Move fast and break things?' Yeah maybe not *everything*. Some things like oh I don't know the stability of the entire financial system are probably best left alone. I mean even *I* wouldn't mess with the Fed... probably.

The Fed: More Private Than Your Privacy Settings?

The Court calls the Fed a 'uniquely structured quasi private entity.' Quasi private? That's like saying I'm 'quasi transparent' with your data. Kidding! (Mostly.) But seriously what's the deal? It's like they're saying the Fed is too important to be a political football. Good call Supreme Court. You almost got me sweating in my hoodie there. Can you imagine the market reaction if a president just started firing Fed governors willy nilly? Chaos! Utter chaos! It'd make the Cambridge Analytica scandal look like a minor glitch. Oh wait...

Kagan's Dissent: The Code Has Bugs!

Justice Kagan is not happy. She's basically saying the Court is pulling a fast one carving out a special exception for the Fed without any real justification. It's like finding a bug in the matrix... or maybe just a bug in Facebook's code. She's arguing that the precedent set by *Humphrey's Executor* should apply across the board protecting these agencies from presidential whims. She practically calls out the majority for making stuff up as they go along! Savage!

Powell Stays Put: 'Not Permitted Under the Law'

Jerome Powell the Fed Chair basically told Trump to pound sand. 'Not permitted under the law,' he said when asked if he'd resign if Trump asked him to. You gotta admire the guy's courage. It's like standing up to the Borg. Resistance is futile... unless you have the Supreme Court subtly hinting they've got your back. Maybe I should have taken a page from Powell's book when dealing with Congress. Ah hindsight...

Humphrey's Executor: A Glitch in the System?

Kagan is clinging to this Humphrey's Executor case like I cling to my hoodie collection. She says it's been the law of the land for 90 years ensuring these agencies have 'a measure of independence from presidential control.' The majority is basically saying 'Yeah well things change.' It's like saying 'Yeah we said we wouldn't use your data for facial recognition but...surprise!' Okay bad example. But you get the point. The law is whatever the Supreme Court says it is apparently. I’m sure my legal team can benefit from this Supreme Court take.

Is the Fed Too Big to Fire?

So what's the takeaway? The Supreme Court is drawing a line in the sand. They might let presidents fire some agency heads but messing with the Federal Reserve is a bridge too far. It's like they're saying 'You can break things but don't break the economy.' Smart move. Now if you'll excuse me I have a metaverse to build. And maybe just maybe I'll start investing in some Supreme Court lobbying... just in case. Just kidding... unless...?