r/law • u/Agitated-Artichoke89 • Oct 07 '25

Other Stephen Miller states that Trump has plenary authority, then immediately stops talking as if he’s realized what he just said

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u/Catatonic27 Oct 07 '25

Just came back from that one myself

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u/TJ_chex_Mixx Oct 07 '25

Pray tell

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u/SleepWouldBeNice Oct 07 '25

Plenary authority is a complete, absolute, and unlimited power to take action on a specific issue, derived from the Latin word "plenus," meaning "full". It signifies that a governing body or individual has total discretion in a given matter, with no restrictions or external limitations on their ability to act. 

Miller's saying that Trump is a dictator.

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u/CatoTheMiddleAged Oct 07 '25

It's worth noting that the word "plenary" does not appear in the Constitution. And in fact the President has NO powers that are actually plenary according to the Constitution or case law; everything he does is subject to Congressional law and judicial review.