Wiener v. United States (1957)
- Docket
- 52
- Decided
- 1957-01-01
- Category
- General
Summary
Question: Did President Eisenhower have the authority to terminate Wiener's membership on the Commission? Conclusion: In a unanimous opinion, the Court held that the President did not have the authority to remove individuals from the War Claims Commission at will. The Court found that Congress had intended to create a body that was "'entirely free from the control or coercive influence, direct or indirect,' of either the Executive or the Congress." The "intrinsic judicial character" of the Commission's duties required that it be able to adjudicate claims solely on the merits of each claim free of external Executive pressure." Congress did not wish to have hand over the Commission the Damocles' sword of removal by the President for no reason other than that he preferred to have on that Commission men of his own choosing."