I'm John Batchel. It's a pleasure to welcome my colleague and friend Richard Epstein. Professor Richard Epstein teaches law at NYU and the University of Chicago.

He's at the Civitas Institute, University of Texas at Austin.

Morrison v. Olson, 487 U.S. 654, 1988.

A Supreme Court of the United States decision that determined that the Independent Council Act was constitutional, therein lies the story.

Richard, a very good evening to you.

I've been guided by our colleague John U.

to pay attention to Morrison v. Olson because it will be part of the case that the Supreme Court is now asked to decide,

does the president have the power to fire members of independent boards? Is there such a thing as

someone in the executive branch who's protected from the power of the presidency? Does the court

have a way to find in the Constitution,

a way of mitigating the power of the presidency in the executive branch?

It would appear from Morrison v. Elson and what's happened in between,

that that decision is now pending.

Here tofore, the decision has been that the president does not have the power to fire the

independent counsel.

However, I wait on your opinion.

Good day to you.

Oh, good day.

I mean, this is an extraordinary issue.

First of all, let me begin by saying that Morrison and Olson and the opinion of the

Chief Justice is a genuine travesty. He got everything, I think, wrong. But the first thing to

remember is that the question of the independent agencies and any general version of the unitary

...