Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily.

On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Trump v. Slaughter , a case whose outcome feels preordained: The six-justice supermajority is almost certain to fulfill a decadeslong conservative goal to shift an immense amount of power from Congress to President Donald Trump. It will likely do so by telling a story that conservative lawyers have been peddling for decades—that the Constitution gives the commander in chief absolute control over the executive branch, including the freedom to fire federal officials who may impose a modest, independent check on the president’s agenda. Proponents of this argument claim that it is rooted in the original, historical

See Full Page