Obama’s Recess Appointments Questioned by U.S. High Court

U.S. Supreme Court justices suggested they may curb the president’s power to make temporary appointments without Senate approval, as the court took up a constitutional standoff between the White House and congressional Republicans.

Hearing arguments today in Washington, justices across the ideological spectrum questioned whether President Barack Obama legally appointed three members of the National Labor Relations Board in January 2012. The case is the court’s first look at a constitutional provision that lets the president make temporary appointments to high-level posts during Senate recesses.