Washington: Supreme Court Rules on Trump’s Dismissal of FTC Member
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of former President Donald Trump, affirming his decision to fire a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This ruling expands presidential authority and overturns a key precedent from 1935 that allowed Congress to protect certain regulatory agency leaders from being dismissed at will by the president.
In a 6-3 decision, led by the court’s conservative majority, justices invalidated long-standing protections for FTC members that had been established over a century ago. This move directly challenges a previous ruling known as Humphrey’s Executor v. United States. Last year, Trump dismissed Rebecca Slaughter from the FTC due to disagreements over policies.
Despite this significant ruling, the court clarified that it does not affect the independence of the Federal Reserve. They noted that the central bank has a unique historical role that should remain untouched.
In a related case, the court also blocked Trump from firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, reinforcing the independence of the central bank.
The justices concluded that the protections for FTC members overstepped the boundaries of presidential power laid out in the U.S. Constitution. Chief Justice John Roberts stated that Trump’s authority to dismiss Slaughter “is not a close case,” emphasizing the importance of the FTC’s role in enforcing a wide range of economic statutes.
Slaughter, who was appointed by President Biden, was one of two Democratic commissioners Trump aimed to dismiss. Her term was set to run until 2029, and a century-old law allowed the president to remove FTC commissioners only for specific reasons such as inefficiency or misconduct, not merely for policy disagreements. The implications of this ruling for other independent agencies are still unclear.
The Supreme Court’s majority insisted that its decision should not be read as affecting officials besides Slaughter. However, the court’s liberal members expressed concern that the ruling grants the president unprecedented power, warning that it may lead to the erosion of the independence of various commissions.
On social media, Trump celebrated the ruling, calling it a “BIG WIN” and asserting that it confirms presidential power under Article II of the Constitution. He described the decision as one of the most significant regarding presidential authority in decades.
In response, Slaughter expressed her disappointment, stating that overturning a long-standing precedent is alarming and could reshape government institutions in unprecedented ways.
