He could appoint himself to SCOTUS and install Smokin’ Joe as POTUS.
Yes he could. Senate should not go on recess. If the Senate screws up, it will only last until the end of Obama’s term.
He can make recess appointments, but the appointment is only valid until January 2017 - not lifetime.
Even if he doesn’t have the authority, and does it anyway, who will tell him “No”?
Probably not, but law has never stopped the lawless one before.
Uh No he cannot make recess appoitments to the Supreme Court.
I have a feeling they will get an appointee and then keep it in committee until November. Then reject until Jan.
The Senate should have declared it's back in emergency session at first word of this news earlier today. They didn't do that... wonder why.
Well I just looked this up on Wikipedia and evidently the President can make a recess appointment but it looks like those are conditional and may have to have senate approval later on. Anyway here you are:
Presidents since George Washington have made recess appointments. Washington appointed South Carolina judge John Rutledge as Chief Justice of the United States during a congressional recess in 1795. Because of Rutledge’s political views and occasional mental illness, however, the Senate rejected his nomination, and Rutledge subsequently attempted suicide and then resigned.
New Jersey judge William J. Brennan was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 through a recess appointment. This was done in part with an eye on the presidential campaign that year; Eisenhower was running for reelection, and his advisors thought it would be politically advantageous to place a northeastern Catholic on the court. Brennan was promptly confirmed when the Senate came back into session. President Eisenhower, in a recess appointment, designated Charles W. Yost as United States Ambassador to Syria.[12] Eisenhower made two other recess appointments, Chief Justice Earl Warren and Associate Justice Potter Stewart.
George H. W. Bush appointed Lawrence Eagleburger Secretary of State during a recess in 1992; Eagleburger, as Deputy Secretary of State, had in effect filled that role after James Baker resigned.
According to the Congressional Research Service, President Ronald Reagan made 240 recess appointments, President George H. W. Bush made 77 recess appointments, President Bill Clinton made 139 recess appointments. President George W. Bush made 171 recess appointments, and, as of January 5, 2012, President Barack Obama had made 32 recess appointments.[13]
So, why did this happen now?
This total speculation....got it from a post on Facebook, so consider that when you read it.
“4 days ago, the US Supreme Court issued a stay on obama’s centerpiece climate change legacy. The Left reeled from the prospect that the Court could thwart obama’s global scenario:
——”Greens faced with nightmare scenario at the Supreme Court”
——”Inside The Most Important Supreme Court Case In Human History Feb 12, 2016 — Think Progress”
——”The Supreme Court did something unusual this week,” Obama said, noting that it was rare for the court to intervene while the case was still waiting to be heard at the circuit court level.
“The centerpiece of our climate action plan...” WaPo
——”The Obama administration has repeatedly said, both before and after the judicial stay was ordered, that it does not have a Plan B — The Hill”
It is entirely possible that what happened today is “Plan B”.
Pause and consider.