Seila Law v. CFPB was one of the sillier cases in recent Supreme Court history. It used the absurd premise that the nation stood at risk of a runaway federal official going too far in safeguarding consumers from financial scams to reach what, in the near term, would be a perfectly comforting result. The president of the United States can now fire the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at their discretion, and install a replacement more in line with their views.
For Joe Biden, this means that he can immediately terminate the tenure of Kathy Kraninger, the Mick Mulvaney protégé who has been irrelevant if not actively harmful in the cause of consumer protection. Previously, Kraninger would have been able to serve through the end of 2023 and could only be fired “for cause.” Although not doing her job would surely be a sufficient cause, the Supreme Court made this much easier for Biden. Kraninger can just be shown the door, on day one. Special thanks to the Supreme Court for that one.