The constitutional validity of pro forma recess appointments: A bright-line test using a substance-over-form approach

Iowa Law Review

Volumn 98, Issue 1, 2012, Pages 397-419

  Kron, Alex N ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF IOWA COLLEGE OF LAW   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 84877722060     PISSN: 00210552     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Article

References (32)

1. Charlie Savage, Obama Tempts Fight over Recess Appointments, N.Y. TIMES CAUCUS (Jan. 4, 2012, 4:34 PM), http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/ obama-tempts-fight-overrecess-appointments.
2. Quorum, U.S. SENATE, http://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary-term/ quorum.htm (last visited Aug. 21, 2012)
3. Ed O'Keefe, What Is a Recess Appointment?, WASH. POST FED. EYE (Jan. 5, 2012), http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/what-is-a-recess- appointment/2012/01/04/gIQAA4WCbP-blog.html.
4. Stephen Dinan & Susan Crabtree, Obama Defies Congress with "Recess" Picks: Nominations Could Provoke Constitutional Fight, WASH. TIMES (Jan. 4, 2012), http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/4/obama- unprecedented-recess-appointment.
5. Michael Riley & Tom Schoenberg, Obama Recess Appointments Challenged by Trade Groups in Lawsuit, BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK (Jan. 23, 2012), http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-23/obama-recessappointments-challenged- by-trade-groups-in-lawsuit.html
6. See, e.g., Gene Healy, Will Congress Stop King Barack the First?, CATO INST. (Jan. 9, 2012), http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/will-congress- stop-king-barack-first
7. Peter Schroeder, Senate Republicans Challenge Legitimacy of Obama's Consumer Bureau Chief, HILL (Jan. 31, 2012, 12:49 PM), http://thehill.com/blogs/ on-the-money/banking-financial-institutions/207675-consumer-bureau-comesunder- gop-fire
8. T.J. HALSTEAD, CONG. RESEARCH SERV., RL 33009, RECESS APPOINTMENTS: A LEGAL OVERVIEW 3-4 (2005), available at http://fpc.state.gov/documents/ organization/50801.pdf.
9. United States v. Allocco, 305 F.2d 704, 712 (2d Cir. 1962).
10. Evans v. Stephens, 387 F.3d 1220, 1226-27 (11th Cir. 2004).
11. HENRY B. HOGUE, CONG. RESEARCH SERV., RS 21308, RECESS APPOINTMENTS: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 4 (2012), available at http://www.senate.gov/ CRSReports/crspublish.cfm?pid='0DP%2BP%5CW%3B%20P%20%20%0A.
12. T.J. HALSTEAD, CONG. RESEARCH SERV., RL 33009, RECESS APPOINTMENTS: A LEGAL OVERVIEW 10 (2007), available at http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33009. pdf
13. see also Senate Stays in Session To Block Bush Recess Appointments, CNN (Nov. 19, 2007), http://articles.cnn.com/2007-11-19/politics/senate.reid-1- recess-appointments-senate-democrats-farm-bill [hereinafter Senate Stays in Session].
14. David Vitter, Vitter, DeMint Urge House To Block Controversial Recess Appointments (May 25, 2011), available at http://vitter.senate.gov/public/index. cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.PressReleases&ContentRecord-id=290b81a7-802a-23ad- 4359-6d2436e2eb77)
15. John Boehner, Speaker of the House et al. (June 15, 2011), available at http://landry.house.gov/sites/landry.house.gov/files/documents/ Freshmen%20Recess%20Appointment%20Letter.pdf) (internal quotation marks omitted).
16. HENRY B. HOGUE & MAUREEN BEARDEN, CONG. RESEARCH SERV., R 42329, RECESS APPOINTMENTS MADE BY PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA 11 (2012), available at http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42329.pdf.
17. Creating the Consumer Bureau, CONSUMER FIN. PROT. BUREAU, http://www.consumerfinance.gov/the-bureau/creatingthebureau (last visited Aug. 20, 2012).
18. Learn About the Bureau, CONSUMER FIN. PROT. BUREAU, http://www. consumerfinance.gov/the-bureau/ (last visited Aug. 20, 2012)
19. Kerri Ann Panchuk, Scott Brown Misses GOP Message on the CFPB by Endorsing Cordray, HOUSINGWIRE (Nov. 16, 2011, 12:00 PM), http://www. housingwire.com/rewired/scott-brownmisses-gop-message-cfpb-endorsing-cordray
20. see also Blake Ellis, The New Pup Watching Our Money: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Launches with Important-Though Limited-Powers, CNN MONEY, http://money.cnn.com/pf/storysupplement/consumer-bureau-launch/ (last visited Aug. 20, 2012)
21. Diane Katz, Consumers Need Protection from Consumer Protection Bureau, FOUNDRY (Dec. 6, 2011, 1:26 PM), http://blog.heritage.org/2011/12/06/consumers- need-protection-from-consumer-protectionbureau
22. Peter Schroeder, Warren: Despite Critics' Claims, CFPB Not Too Powerful, HILL (May 23, 2011, 2:43 PM), http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/banking- financial-institutions/162695-warren-despitecritics-claims-cfpb-not-too- powerful.
23. see also Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (C.F.P.B.), N.Y. TIMES TOPICS, http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/c/ consumer-financial-protection-bureau/index.html (last updated Aug. 10, 2012).
24. See Roger Pilon, Obama's Sham Constitutionalism, CATO INST. (Jan. 5, 2012), http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/obamas-shamconstitutionalism
25. Seth Borden, More on President Obama's "Recess" Appointments to the NLRB, LAB. REL. TODAY (Jan. 4, 2012), http://www.laborrelationstoday.com/ 2012/01/articles/presidentialappointments/more-on-president-obamas-recess- appointments-to-the-nlrb.
26. What We Do, NAT'L LAB. REL. BOARD, https://www.nlrb.gov/what-we-do (last visited Feb. 3, 2012).
27. Dave Jamieson & Jennifer Bendery, Obama NLRB Recess Appointments Thrill Labor, Infuriate Business, HUFFINGTON POST (Jan. 4, 2012, 4:03 PM), http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/04/obama-nlrb-recess-appointments-labor- unions-n-1184285.html.
28. Melanie Trottman, Obama Makes Recess Appointments to NLRB, WALL ST. J. (Jan. 4, 2012, 9:16 PM), http://online.wsj.com/article/ SB10001424052970203513604577141411919152318.html.
29. Jonathan Weisman, Appointments Challenge Senate Role, Experts Say, N.Y. TIMES (Jan. 7, 2012), http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/us/politics/experts-say- obamas-recess-appointments-could-signify-end-to-a-senate-role.html
30. Edmond v. United States, 520 U.S. 651, 659 (1997).
31. Todd Gaziano, A Tyrannical Abuse of Power: Obama Attempts To Appoint Cordray to CFPB, FOUNDRY (Jan. 4, 2012, 12:26 PM), http://blog.heritage.org/ 2012/01/04/a-tyrannical-abuse-of-power-obama-attempts-to-appointcordray-to-cfpb
32. VIRGINIA A. SEITZ, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, MEMORANDUM OPINION FOR THE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT: LAWFULNESS OF RECESS APPOINTMENTS DURING A RECESS OF THE SENATE NOTWITHSTANDING PERIODIC PRO FORMA SESSIONS 12 (2012) (quoting Recess Appointments, 41 Op. Att'y Gen. 463, 467 (1960) (emphasis added in SEITZ opinion)), available at http://www.justice.gov/olc/2012/pro-forma-sessions- opinion.pdf.