Earlier this month, the White House sought resignations from U.S. attorneys holding over from the previous administration. Media outrage at similar moves by Donald Trump and George W. Bush (but not Barack Obama) notwithstanding, the request is standard, if coming somewhat sooner than normal. Elsewhere, Joe Biden’s firing decisions evoke his predecessor’s style in their disregard for long-established precedent. Beyond busting norms, these dismissals might signal a major shift in the president’s relationship with the administrative state.
The most prominent example is Peter Robb, who last month became the first-ever general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board to be fired. The NLRB general counsel prosecutes unfair labor practices, and presidents historically have respected the office’s four-year term. During the Trump administration, Richard Griffin, a Democrat appointed by Obama, served for nine months, until his term expired. Despite 70 years of bipartisan tradition, President Biden fired Robb on Day One, after his dismissal had become a political priority for unions.
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