Supreme Court rules Trump can fire independent agency heads, with key exception

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled six to three that President Trump can fire Federal Trade Commission officials and heads of most independent government agencies—a historic expansion of presidential power. The decision overturns Humphrey's Executor, a nearly one-hundred-year-old precedent that protected agency commissioners from being fired without specific cause. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that if anything remains of Humphrey's Executor, the court overrules it. The ruling does come with a significant exception: the Federal Reserve. In a separate five-to-four decision, the court blocked Trump from immediately firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, with Roberts emphasizing the central bank's distinct historical tradition. The case centered on Trump's firing of two Democratic FTC commissioners, Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya. Going forward, with no Democratic voices at the FTC, regulatory decisions will proceed without meaningful internal dissent or checks. According to Axios, FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson has aligned the agency with Trump's tech agenda. During oral arguments, Justice Elena Kagan warned that unlimited presidential power could leave the president controlling much of lawmaking in the country.

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