Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Obama Labor Board Recess Appointments

Right to Work Foundation attorneys argued purported recess appointments were invalid because Senate was not in recess

Washington, DC (January 25, 2013) – Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit struck down President Barack Obama's controversial purported "recess appointments" to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys filed an amicus curiae brief jointly with the Landmark Legal Foundation in the case, Noel Canning v. NLRB.

The brief was filed for four workers who are receiving free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys in cases pending before the Board.

Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation, issued the following statement in light of the court's decision:

"Today, the court agreed with Foundation attorneys: Barack Obama's so-called recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board clearly violate the U.S. Constitution. Because the U.S. Senate was not in recess the President could not make the appointments to the NLRB without Senate confirmation.

"As a result, the Board has lacked a quorum since January 3, 2012, and under a U.S. Supreme Court precedent established in 2010, the court's ruling invalidates the Board's biased and decidedly pro-Big Labor rulings since that time. The court's decision in Noel Canning is a victory for independent-minded workers who have received unjust treatment at the hands of the pro-Big Labor NLRB and will hopefully serve as a persuasive example to other federal courts deciding on the validity of Obama's purported recess appointments."