The U.S. Supreme Court this week will hear oral arguments on whether the leadership structure of the CFPB is constitutional.

Though it believes the CFPB’s leadership structure is unconstitutional, the Department of Justice in a new reply brief urged the Supreme Court to preserve the bureau for its “critical work.”

It is widely expected that if a Democrat wins the presidential election, the new administration will once again strengthen the CFPB.

Brian Johnson, deputy director at the CFPB, has left the agency for a position at law firm Alston & Bird. His departure brings the tally of political appointees leaving the bureau to four.

The consumer watchdog hiked its budget for 2020, taking its spending to levels last seen in 2017.

Two top Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee are pressing for the immediate suspension of a newly-formed task force on federal consumer law.

The court-appointed CFPB defender said the petition challenging the bureau’s structure is “remarkably weak.” According to him, there is no basis “to take the grave step of invalidating an act of Congress.”

Senate Democrats urged the inspector general to investigate standards the bureau uses to calculate consumer restitution.