Obama’s court quagmire

The Hill questions if President Obama overstepped his authority in drafting energy and environment plans, they consult with CEI's William Yeatman for further details.

William Yeatman, a senior fellow at the conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute, suggested that the timing of the high-stakes court fights also has something to do with political strategy.

“Most presidents who want to make their mark through the regulatory state are going to cram all their big, controversial ones in the second term, when they don’t face any electoral accountability,” said Yeatman, whose group is likely to participate in the litigation against the climate rules. “The timing is a byproduct of that.”

But Yeatman warned that the current Justice Department leadership might not be the ones responsible for representing the government in these disputes. Since Obama’s term will end in January 2017, the next president might oversee the cases.