The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Trump v. Slaughter to expand presidential power, allowing President Donald Trump to fire independent agency leaders at will. The landmark decision overturned the 90-year-old Humphrey's Executor precedent, which protected regulatory officials from political removal. While the conservative majority upheld Trump's firing of FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, it voted 5-4 to block his attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, preserving the central bank's independence for now.
Supreme Court removal power ruling
- ▪The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the president has the authority to fire leaders of independent federal agencies at will
- ▪The US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to reject President Donald Trump's 2025 firing of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Humphrey's Executor precedent overturned
- ▪The 1935 Humphrey's Executor precedent had recognized the authority of Congress to protect leaders of certain regulatory agencies from presidential removal at will
- ▪The US Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in Trump v. Slaughter overturned the 1935 landmark precedent Humphrey's Executor v. United States
FTC commissioner firing case
- ▪Rebecca Slaughter sued the Trump administration, arguing she was fired without cause, and a lower court initially ruled for her reinstatement
- ▪Alvaro Bedoya, another Democratic Federal Trade Commission member fired alongside Rebecca Slaughter, resigned in June 2025 and dropped his lawsuit
- ▪President Donald Trump fired Democratic Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter in March 2025 over policy differences
Presidential control expansion consequences
- ▪The ruling effectively turns Federal Trade Commission commissioners into at-will employees and allows the president to leave opposing party seats vacant
Independent agency protections eliminated
- ▪Former government officials warned that eliminating removal protections would jeopardize agency independence and make leaders reluctant to act without White House coordination
- ▪The ruling throws into question the statutory removal protections of leaders at other federal agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
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