The US Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Trump to fire Biden-appointed FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter.
Last Tuesday, a federal appeals court reinstated a Biden appointee to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) despite Trump’s previous attempt to fire her.
In March, President Trump fired both Democrat commissioners at the FTC.
“President Donald J. Trump is the head of the executive branch and is vested with all of the executive power in our government. I have no doubts about his constitutional authority to remove Commissioners, which is necessary to ensure democratic accountability for our government. The Federal Trade Commission will continue its tireless work to protect consumers, lower prices, and police anticompetitive behavior,” Andrew Ferguson, Chairman of the FTC, said in a statement.
“I wish Commissioners Slaughter and Bedoya well, and I thank them for their service,” he added.
— Andrew Ferguson (@AFergusonFTC) March 18, 2025
Shortly after the firing, they both sued to get their jobs back.
In July, a federal judge rehired the Democrat FTC Commissioner who was fired by President Trump earlier this year.
US District Judge Loren AliKhan, a Biden appointee, said President Trump’s firing of Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, the Democrat FTC Commissioner, was illegal.
The Trump Administration promptly appealed the order.
On Tuesday, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, stacked with Obama judges, citing the century-old Supreme Court decision Humphrey’s Executor, ruled that Rebecca Slaughter can remain at her job after Trump fired her.
On Monday, Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts allowed President Trump to fire Slaughter while the case continues through the legal system.
NBC News reported:
The Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Donald Trump to fire a member of the Federal Trade Commission despite a federal law that is intended to restrict the White House’s power to control the agency.
The court, via an order issued by Chief Justice John Roberts, temporarily blocked a judge’s ruling that reinstated Rebecca Kelly Slaughter while the case continues.
The order did not definitively signal how the court would address an emergency request made by the Trump administration to give the president broader authority to fire independent agency members without cause, but signals that it would likely grant it.