Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/19pdf/18-1334_8m58.pdf
Page Number: 35.0

Cite as:  590 U. S. ____ (2020) 

9 

THOMAS, J., concurring in judgment 

One cannot plausibly conclude that the First Congress—
seeking to “adapt” the Northwest Ordinance to the Consti-
tution, 1 Stat. 51—prescribed methods of appointing terri-
torial officers that violated the Appointments Clause.  Ra-
ther, the First Congress recognized the distinction between 
territorial and national powers, see supra, at 6–8, and un-
derstood  that  officers  performing  duties  pursuant  to  only 
Article IV territorial powers are not officers “of the United 
States.”  For these reasons, I would hold that the original 
meaning of the phrase “Officers of the United States” does 
not include territorial  officers exercising only powers con-
ferred under Article IV. 

C 
Under the original meaning of the Appointments Clause, 
the Board’s members are not “Officers of the United States.” 
They are territorial officers exercising power granted under 
Article IV. 

The  Board  is  “an  entity  within  the  territorial  govern-
ment,” 48 U. S. C. §2121(c)(1), created “pursuant to article 
IV,  section  3  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,” 
§2121(b)(2),  and  funded  by  the  Territory,  §2127(b).    The 
members  of  the  Board  perform  duties  involving  the  over-
sight  of  Puerto  Rico’s  finances  and  fiscal  reform  efforts,
§§2141–2152, and the representation of Puerto Rico in debt
restructuring proceedings, §§2161–2177.  Because “they do 
not exercise the national executive power,” “national judi-
cial power,” or national legislative power, the Board’s mem-
bers are “Article IV executives,” not Officers of the United 
States  under  the  Appointments  Clause.  See  Freytag  v. 
Commissioner, 501 U. S. 868, 913 (1991) (Scalia, J., concur-
ring  in  part  and  concurring  in  judgment)  (emphasis  de-
leted).

The Court rightfully acknowledges the territorial nature 
of the Board’s duties.  Ante, at 14–20.  But in the process,