President's hiring and firing power at issue in Supreme Court case over SEC judges

The L.A. Times reports:

Only Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. spoke up strongly in favor of bringing agency judges under direct political control. "One of the principles that caused the drafters [of the Constitution] to give the authority to appoint officers to the president was the important one of accountability," he said. "People would know who was responsible.… In this case, you don't have that. The commission can say: 'Don't blame us. We didn't do it.' The president can say: 'Don't blame me. I didn't appoint them.' Instead, it's something in the administrative bureaucracy which operates as insulation from political accountability."

The case, Lucia vs. SEC, is the latest chapter in a long-running battle over the structure of the U.S. government. Since the 1930s, the Supreme Court has upheld the principle of independent agencies within the executive branch. But many conservatives adhere to the "unitary executive" theory. They believe the Constitution made the president the chief executive and gave him the power to control executive officials who wield significant authority, including by firing them.

It's long past time to bring back the spoils system: at least there was some accountability.