The Constitutionalists: John Roberts and Donald Trump – WSJ
Mr. Trump s detractors fault him for self-aggrandizement. That assessment is obviously accurate, but it carries more force as a dramatic critique than a legal one. As the chief justice put it in Trump v. U.S. (2024), The President occupies a unique position in the constitutional scheme, as the only person who alone composes a branch of government. During his term, Mr. Trump is the most important man in the American constitutional structure. It isn t bragging if it s true.
Yet Article II also strictly limits his authority. It provides only that the executive Power shall be vested in the president. He gives effect to the law, but Congress (Article I) writes it and the judiciary (Article III) provides the authoritative reading. Mr. Trump affirmed this balance in a Feb. 19 executive order: Ending Federal overreach and restoring the constitutional separation of powers is a priority of my Administration.
The order directs agency heads to review all regulations and identify several categories of them for rescission, modification or nonenforcement. Among the targeted rules are those that are based on anything other than the best reading of the underlying statutory authority or prohibition and those that implicate matters of social, political, or economic significance [and] are not authorized by clear statutory authority.
via www.wsj.com
James Taranto