Washington: Supreme Court power over U.S. governance drew new scrutiny after the justices sided with President Donald Trump in a Federal Trade Commission firing case.
The Guardian reported that the court ruled 6-3 in Trump v. Slaughter that Trump could remove leaders of independent agencies, overturning the 1935 Humphrey’s Executor precedent.
The case arose after Trump fired Democratic Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter in March 2025. The ruling could affect about two dozen independent agencies, according to The Guardian.
Trump hailed the decision on Truth Social as “The Greatest Increase in Presidential Power in the last 100 years.”
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The brief said Slaughter told CNN that the Federal Trade Commission was designed by Congress as a bipartisan, multi-member, independent agency.
Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, according to The Guardian.
The ruling came as the court handled several major cases involving Trump’s authority, including immigration, tariffs, election rules and Federal Reserve removal limits.
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The same brief said the court rejected Trump in a separate case over emergency tariff powers and blocked his attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook while litigation continued.
The brief said the court also rejected a Republican National Committee challenge to a Mississippi law allowing certain ballots received after Election Day to be counted.
