NLRB v. Noel Canning

What This Case Was About
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is the federal agency that protects workers' rights to form unions and engage in collective bargaining. In this case, President Obama tried to appoint new members to the NLRB during what he claimed was a congressional "recess" - a break when Congress isn't in session. However, Congress said it was still technically meeting, just in very brief sessions. The company Noel Canning challenged whether these appointments were valid under the Constitution.

What the Court Decided
The Supreme Court ruled that President Obama's appointments were unconstitutional. The Court said that for the President to make recess appointments, Congress must be in a recess lasting at least 10 days. Since Congress was holding brief sessions every few days, it wasn't truly in recess. This invalidated the NLRB's decisions made while those improperly appointed members were serving.

What This Means for Workers
This ruling temporarily weakened the NLRB's authority and reversed some pro-worker decisions made during this period. It shows how political battles over appointments can directly impact the agency that protects workers' rights to organize and bargain collectively.