Supreme Court rules Trump can fire FTC members, overturns 90-year precedent on independent agency power

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that President Donald Trump had the authority to fire Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, overturning a nearly 100-year-old legal precedent that limited the president's power over independent agencies. The case, Trump v. Slaughter, began in March 2025 when Trump removed two Democratic members of the FTC before the end of their terms. The FTC is led by five commissioners, with no more than three from the same party. The ousted officials, Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter, sued, citing the 1935 Supreme Court case Humphrey's Executor v. United States, which held that dismissing an FTC member for policy differences was unconstitutional. The court sided 6-3 with the White House. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that the FTC exercises executive power and must be controlled by the chief executive. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent that the decision reshapes the government, adding that dozens of independent commissions are now likely to become purely executive agencies, shifting power into the president's hands. The ruling is expected to apply to other lawsuits filed by leaders of independent agencies fired by the president, including Democrat Cathy Harris of the Merit Systems Protection Board.