Page "United States Office of the Independent Counsel" Paragraph 3

The prosecutor, who was appointed by a special panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, could investigate allegations of any misconduct, with an unlimited budget and no deadline, and could be dismissed only by the Attorney General for " good cause " or by the special panel of the court when the independent counsel's task was completed.

As the president could not dismiss those investigating the executive branch it was felt that the independence of the office would ensure impartiality of any reports presented to Congress.

However, there have been many critics of this law including Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Many argued the new Independent Counsel's office was a sort of " fourth branch " of government that had virtually unlimited powers and was answerable to no one.

However, the constitutionality of the new office was ultimately upheld in the 1988 Supreme Court case Morrison v. Olson.