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We might bring you back. >> yes, sir. martha: looks like there will be. one decision is already in, and shannon bream has been going through it. it has to do with whether or not the president can make recess appointments as he did to the national labor relations board. the senate objected to those recess appointments that he made because they said they weren't really in recess when he made them, so what has the supreme court decided? >> reporter: here's how it works. the court goes through a long analysis, basically recognizing that the president does have power to make recess appointments. l ...

The court struck down a massachusetts law creating a 35-foot no protest buffer zone on public property surrounding abortion clinics. more on that decision in just a moment. first, more on the ruling that has a direct impact on the white house shs the congress and the struggle over the presidential powers issue. pamela brown is joining us in washington with more. unanimous decision, clear setback for the president. >> it is a unanimous decision. it's being seen as a win for congress, a defeat for the white house. when president obama appointed three people to the national labor board that it ...

That time frame were not valid. so they're of no effect, at least during that particular time. bill: this is a slap down to executive power then. >> it's a significant victory for what's called the separation of powers and, yes, the president just doesn't get to make up the rules on when the senate is in recess. he just can't appoint people because he's mad at the united states senate or congress. they were in pro forma session, which is what we argued, and nine justices agreed with that. bill: 9-0, wow. so you can do recess appointments, but in this case congress was not in recess. that's wha...

Would force a u.s. senator to have a pro forma session to prevent bush appointees. >> reporter: yes. >> and republicans essentially carried on the practice, right? >> reporter: that's right. and every president has used a recess appointment power since george washington, but only in the sort of latter half of the last century did they start to use them to get around the senate's refusing to act on their nominees. >> very quickly, the supreme court on friday announced they're going to hear a case that has to do with a congressional race, a couple of cycles ago, where the losing democratic candi...

Carolina. let the sfars be with you. a star truck spoof. you did spend $60,000 to produce it. >> talking about money and i'm not polite. let's talk about it. tvs cost money, cable costs money. afternoon with "the cycle," priceless. >> president obama is back on u.s. soil after four days in the mideast. great, maybe he and congress can get something done. i would like to see some concrete movement on gun control. wait a minute. obama is back but congress, oh, they're on spring break. ♪ okay, maybe it's not like that. but the house, that's spr spring breakers. the house and senate are in reces...