re: Thomas to Jack Smith and Garland: You don’t have Authority

A Court - whether a district court, circuit court, or SCOTUS - does not necessarily need to overturn Nixon in order to find that Jack Smith cannot head the Office of Special Counsel.
The question presented in Nixon was not whether the AG properly exercised his power in appointing a special prosecutor - but whether the President could ignore a subpoena demanding the President turn over evidence in a criminal proceeding.
Tangential to that was the proper authority of the office in issuing a subpoena - but the question of whether the powers granted to the outside special counsel were consistent with the law was not addressed.
So it would not require much, if any, mental gymnastics to say Nixon's holding still stands and that Jack Smith lacks the power to bring charges in federal court.

The only thing Justice Thomas missed was the "bless your heart" before dropping the hammer
That was succinct, factual, and decisive...bravo Justice Thomas, bravo