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US Supreme Court appears poised to expand Trump's power to fire federal officials

December 8, 2025

The Supreme Court's conservative majority signaled support for expanding presidential power to fire leaders of independent federal agencies during arguments in a case involving Rebecca Slaughter's dismissal from the Federal Trade Commission. Trump removed Slaughter for being inconsistent with administration priorities, despite laws requiring commissioners only be fired for cause such as inefficiency or misconduct. The case challenges a 90-year-old precedent that protects certain agencies from political interference by limiting presidential removal authority.

Who is affected

  • Rebecca Slaughter (former FTC commissioner who was fired)
  • Federal Trade Commission and its commissioners
  • Independent federal agencies with similar firing protections (National Labor Relations Board, Federal Reserve Board of Governors specifically mentioned)
  • Lisa Cook (Federal Reserve Board of Governors member facing separate removal case)
  • Congress (whose authority to structure independent agencies is being challenged)
  • Federal employees with civil service protections

What action is being taken

  • The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in Trump v Slaughter
  • The Trump administration is appealing a lower court ruling that found Slaughter was illegally removed
  • The Supreme Court is maintaining Slaughter's firing through an emergency order issued in September

Why it matters

  • This case threatens to overturn 90 years of precedent protecting independent federal agencies from presidential political interference. If Trump prevails, it would dramatically expand executive power and eliminate Congress's ability to create agencies designed to operate independently from White House control. The decision could affect numerous agencies created to provide non-partisan oversight, auditing, and regulatory functions, fundamentally restructuring how the federal government operates and potentially undermining protections for individual liberty that independent agencies were designed to safeguard.

What's next

  • The Supreme Court's decision is not expected to be announced for several months
  • The Supreme Court is set to take up a separate case at a later date concerning Trump's removal of Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors

Read full article from source: BBC