The executive branch
for-cause removal protection
A statute allowing an official to be fired only for stated reasons, such as inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance. The legal basis of agency independence.
In full
Most executive officials serve at will and can be dismissed for any reason. For-cause protection changes that, and Humphrey's Executor v. United States (1935) upheld it for multi-member commissions. The scope of that holding is actively contested: the Supreme Court has since struck down such protection for single-headed agencies and for officials two layers deep in removal protection.
Also written as: at-will removal, inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance
Where to go next
Keep going
Browse every term in the glossary, or see the vocabulary in motion in the How government works walkthroughs.
A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.