Takeaways From the Supreme Court’s Decisions Expanding Trump’s Firing Power but Preserving Fed for Now
The rulings expand presidential removal power over independent agencies while preserving Federal Reserve protections for now, in split decisions that overturned decades of precedent.
- On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that President Donald Trump can fire Federal Trade Commission commissioners, overturning 90 years of precedent. Separately, the court blocked his attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook in a 5-4 decision.
- The ruling reversed the 1935 Humphrey's Executor decision, which protected independent regulatory commission members from removal without cause. Trump fired FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter in 2025, telling her service was "inconsistent with Administration's priorities."
- Justice Sonia Sotomayor blasted the majority for granting "unchecked power," warning the decision transforms independent agencies into executive branches. The ruling concentrates authority over energy, consumer safety, and nuclear regulation within the White House, she added.
- Slaughter called the ruling a "recipe for corruption," saying it allows presidents to replace watchdogs with "lapdogs." The 5-4 decision preserving Governor Cook's position at the Federal Reserve blocked Trump's removal attempt.
- A Gallup poll published Monday found just 33 percent of U.S. adults feel "extremely proud" to be an American, the lowest rating since 2001. This reflects declining institutional trust as the nation approaches its semiquincentennial.
102 Articles
102 Articles
Judgement endorses dismissal of Rebecca Slaughter, member of the Federal Trade Commission
John Roberts's 5-4 opinion saving the Fed should have saved all independent agencies
On Monday, Chief Justice John Roberts issued two major decisions addressing presidential firing powers of so-called independent agencies — the second protecting the Federal Reserve’s independence even as the first, addressing the Federal Trade Commission, purported to lay out a broad principle ending the independence of such agencies by holding that removal protections are unconstitutional. When the two are considered together, Roberts — by writ…
Dahlia Lithwick On the Supreme Court's Imperial Presidency
For daily news updates and analysis, be sure to follow us on Instagram. If you are able to support independent journalism, please make a tax-deductible donation to News Not Noise here.I was always taught that the Supreme Court is, by design, a slow-moving, centrist institution. Its only real power comes from public trust. It has no police force, no enforcement arm — just a reputation for integrity, restraint, and political independence. That’s w…
Presidential At-Will Appointments Restored—Except For The Federal Reserve
By Robert Romano Two very important decisions on the scope of executive removal power over Senate-confirmable appointees were handed down by the Supreme Court: Trump v. Slaughter, which found that “for cause” removal statutes violate Article II of the Constitution, and Trump v. Cook, which found an injunction against President Donald Trump’s “for cause” removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook should remain in place. Both the Federal Reserv…
'BIG WIN': Trump calls SCOTUS 'Slaughter' ruling the greatest increase of presidential power in 100 years
The Supreme Court said in a partisan decision Monday that the president had expansive authority to fire government agency employees.The ruling overturns a 1935 decision in which the highest court in the land found that Congress could shield government workers from being fired by the president unless it was for cause.'Such a Monumental Ruling at such an important time!'The six conservatives on the court ruled in favor, while the three liberals di…
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