US declares administrative law judge removal rules unconstitutional

[noumoe]

The U.S. Justice Department has determined that multiple layers of removal restrictions shielding administrative law judges are unconstitutional and will no longer defend them in court, top officials said on Thursday.

Chad Mizelle, the department's chief of staff, called the administrative law judges, who preside over administrative disputes in the federal government, "unelected and constitutionally unaccountable."

In a letter to U.S. Senator Charles Grassley that Mizelle posted on X, Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris wrote that the Justice Department would no longer defend removal restrictions for administrative law judges against challenges in courts.

The Justice Department's policy shift comes as Republican President Donald Trump and his ally, the billionaire Elon Musk, seek to reduce the power of several federal regulatory agencies.

It also comes after several decisions curbing the authority of U.S. agencies by the U.S. Supreme Court, whose conservative justices have indicated skepticism toward expansive regulatory power.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-declar ... 025-02-21/