Washington: Supreme Court curbs independence of federal agencies | JQJO

Washington, United States – The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a landmark 6-3 ruling in Trump v. Slaughter that reshapes the balance of power between the presidency and independent regulatory agencies. The Court held that statutory “for-cause” removal protections for Federal Trade Commission commissioners violate the Constitution’s separation of powers, concluding that Congress cannot insulate officials who exercise executive power from direct presidential control. In doing so, the conservative majority overruled Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, a nearly century-old precedent that had allowed multi-member boards such as the FTC to operate with substantial independence from the White House. The decision marks a significant expansion of presidential authority over the federal administrative apparatus.

Washington, United States – Under the ruling, the President may now remove commissioners and board members of multi-member federal agencies that exercise executive power at will, without demonstrating statutory cause such as inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office. The case arose after President Donald Trump, early in his second term beginning in January 2025, dismissed Democratic FTC commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya. The administration did not invoke the cause-based protections contained in Section 1 of the FTC Act of 1914, instead informing them that their continued service was inconsistent with the administration’s priorities. The decision effectively ends the historical autonomy of such agencies, placing their policy and enforcement decisions under direct presidential oversight.