SCOTUSBlog has published the final installment in our series on recent changes in constitutional law. This essay focuses on the separation of powers. It begins:
The late 1990s and early 2000s ushered in the Rehnquist federalism revolution, which appeared to place limits on Congress' powers and expand those of the states. Then came Sept. 11, 2001, and the global war on terror, which seemed poised to expand the president's powers. Yet, by 2008, Congress' powers seemed without meaningful limits and the president's efforts to expand his own powers had failed. And the separation of powers remained, well, separate. Nevertheless, the next two decades would vastly enlarge the president's powers as Congress' authority over the executive branch would be greatly diminished.
Here is a chart that shows the shift in cases:
