--- title: Sarbanes-Oxley auditing board ruled unconstitutional description: The Supreme Court on Monday struck down part of a 2002 law ~ Sarbanes-Oxley auditing board ruled unconstitutional. --- [866.436.3530](tel:+8664363530) | [** Customer Portal Login](https://na.myconnectwise.net/support/index.htm?Company=equationtech) [Speak With an Expert](https://www.equationtech.us/speak-with-an-expert) [![Equation Technologies - Sage Business Partner | San Diego](https://www.equationtech.us/hs-fs/hubfs/Redesign_Images/logo.png?width=230&name=logo.png "Equation Technologies - Sage Business Partner | San Diego")](https://www.equationtech.us/) - [Sage Services](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services) - Products We Support - [Sage 300](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services/sage-300-cloud) - [Sage Intacct](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services/sage-intacct/) - [Sage CRM](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services/sage-crm) - [Sage Payroll](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services/sage-payroll) - [Sage HCM](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services/sage-hcm-software) - [Sage FAS](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services/fixed-assets) - [Sage Intelligence](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services/sage-intelligence) - [Sage Enterprise Intelligence](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services/sage-enterprise) - Services We Offer - [Software Selection](https://www.equationtech.us/software-solution-selection) - [Implementation](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services/erp-implementation) - [Customization](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services/customization) - [Support](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services/support) - [Training](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services/sage-training) - [Sage Cloud](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services/hosting) - [Upgrades](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services/upgrades) - [Extend Sage](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-integrations) - [Magento eCommerce](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-integrations#magento) - [ADP](https://www.equationtech.us/en/sage-300-sage-intacct-payroll-powered-by-adp) - [Aloha POS](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-integrations#aloha) - [Salesforce](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-integrations#salesforce) - [TimeClockPlus](https://www.equationtech.us/timeclockplus) - [Other Solutions](https://www.equationtech.us/other-solutions) - Industries - [Distribution](https://www.equationtech.us/distribution-management-software-solution) - [Education Nonprofit](https://www.equationtech.us/education-nonprofit-accounting-software) - [Financial Services](https://www.equationtech.us/financial-services-software) - [Franchise](https://www.equationtech.us/franchise-management-software) - [Healthcare](https://www.equationtech.us/healthcare-finance-software) - [Hospitality](https://www.equationtech.us/hotel-restaurant-accounting-software-solutions) - [Metal Processors & Distributors](https://www.equationtech.us/erp-for-metal-industry-businesses) - [Nonprofit](https://www.equationtech.us/nonprofit-accounting-software) - [Professional Services](https://www.equationtech.us/professional-services-software) - [SaaS & Technology](https://www.equationtech.us/erp-software-for-technology) - [Resources](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-software-resource-library) - [Technology Blog](https://www.equationtech.us/technology-blog) - [Training](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-services/sage-training) - [Online Videos](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-300-erp-accpac-tutorial) - [Case Studies](https://www.equationtech.us/case-studies) - [About](https://www.equationtech.us/about-us) - [Meet The Team](https://www.equationtech.us/management-team) - [Partners](https://www.equationtech.us/partners) - [Careers](https://www.equationtech.us/careers) - [Contact](https://www.equationtech.us/contact) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # Sarbanes-Oxley auditing board ruled unconstitutional **twitter **linkedin **facebook The Supreme Court on Monday struck down part of a 2002 law that created a national board that polices auditors of public companies, ruling that it violated the constitutional requirement on the separation of powers among the branches of government. The high court's ruling on the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) could put pressure on Congress to revisit the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate reform law, opening it up for potential changes in the reporting duties of companies. The court's mixed ruling held that the board violated the U.S. Constitution's separation of powers principle, but also held that the law does not violate the Constitution's appointments clause. At stake in the case was how corporate America is audited and a key provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate reform law adopted in response to the Enron and WorldCom accounting scandals early in the decade. The ruling was a victory for the Free Enterprise Fund and a small Nevada accounting firm, which argued that the law unconstitutionally stripped the president of power to appoint or remove board members or to supervise their activities. Board members are appointed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and can only be removed by the SEC for cause. The board, set up as a quasi-private agency, has the power to impose rules and to inspect and fine accounting firms. The board is funded through fees it collects from public companies. It inspects thousands of auditors, including the Big Four accounting firms: Ernst & Young LLP, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte & Touche LLP. The Free Enterprise Fund and the accounting firm sued in 2006. A federal judge and a U.S. appeals court rejected the challenge. The Supreme Court's majority opinion said the limits on the removal of board members violated the separation of powers requirement. But the court also held that the unconstitutional provisions can be separated from the rest of the law. (Reporting by Rachelle Younglai and James Vicini. Editing by Robert MacMillan) ### Related Articles ##### [Sage 300 & Windows 10 End of Life: What You Need to Know](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-accpac-blog/sage-300-windows-10-end-of-life-what-you-need-to-know) There’s been a lot of conversation lately around Windows 10 end of life and what that means for... ##### [From Start-Up to Quarter Billion – How Sage 300 Scaled Success](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-accpac-blog/from-start-up-to-quarter-billion-how-sage-300-scaled-success) We also have a [video version](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ssdM9iHt6Wz86A-VDvAER03NdXkAodg9/view?usp=sharing) of this article, where you can hear directly from one of our ERP... ##### [How to Simplify Payroll and Job Costing with Sage 300](https://www.equationtech.us/sage-accpac-blog/how-to-simplify-payroll-and-job-costing-with-sage-300) Getting payroll to play nice with your job costing system is like fitting a square peg into a round... ## Need Help Now? 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