TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Barry Kolar on Oct 21, 2019

The Supreme Court will take up a case this term that could significantly weaken the structure and independence of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a government watchdog agency launched in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, News 4 reports from CNN. The law that established the CFPB says the president may not remove the director except for "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office." But critics — including the Trump administration, current director Kathleen Kraninger, as well as a law firm fighting a CFPB-led investigation — argue in court briefs that a restriction on the president's authority to remove the director at will, including over policy disagreements, "violates the Constitution's separation of powers."