Trump is trying to bring ‘thousands’ of federal adjudicators under his control — and hurling the US ‘further toward an authoritarian future’: attorney

Much has been written about President Donald Trump’s impact on the United States’ federal government — not only the U.S. Supreme Court, but also, the lower federal courts. Trump’s influence at the federal level, however, goes beyond the courts and the judicial branch of the federal government. And journalist/attorney Peter M. Shane, in an article for The Atlantic, warns that Trump is also trying to bring federal administrative adjudicators under his control within the government’s executive branch.

Shane opens his article by explaining who administrative adjudicators are and what they do.

“Throughout the federal government are thousands of officials who do not direct courtrooms, but who are, in a sense, judges,” Shane notes. “They are federal employees who preside over trial-like disputes, hear evidence and testimony, and make decisions that can deeply shape people’s lives, such as the granting of asylum and veterans benefits. These executive branch employees are administrative adjudicators.” Continue reading.