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Decision by Justices Opens a New Debate on the Limits of Presidential Power

Thursday’s decision by the Supreme Court to curb President Obama’s ability to make recess appointments opened a new debate in the nation’s capital about the proper limits of presidential power in an era of intense partisan gridlock.

Republicans hailed the ruling as a repudiation of what they called Mr. Obama’s abuse of his constitutional power when he tried in 2012 to fill vacancies at two federal agencies without Senate confirmation.

But Mr. Obama and his allies noted that the decision stopped short of severely undermining the broader appointment power of the presidency, as an appeals court had ruled earlier. White House officials had worried that the court’s more conservative members might emerge victorious with a far more restrictive view of presidential power. They did not.

Read entire article at NYT