The U.S. Supreme Court rules that President Donald Trump has the authority to remove Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioners, including overturning protections that had limited presidential firings. In Slaughter v. Trump, the Court decides that the “for cause” removal provision for FTC commissioners violates the separation of powers, allowing Trump to remove FTC commissioners rather than restricting removals to specific grounds such as inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance.
The decision is issued by a 6–3 vote and breaks from decades of precedent, including the Court’s earlier holding in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, which supported Congress’s ability to limit presidential removal power over officials at independent regulatory agencies. Sources also note that the ruling strengthens presidential control over agencies previously considered independent.
The case centers on Rebecca Slaughter, an FTC commissioner who is a Democrat. She challenges her removal, arguing the statutory tenure protections should have barred it. After a lower court blocked Trump’s removal attempt as unlawful, the Supreme Court ultimately reverses that outcome.
