The Supreme Court ruled Monday that President Trump can fire leaders of independent agencies at will, striking down a nearly century-old precedent that had insulated officials from removal without cause. The 6-3 decision in Trump v. Slaughter focused on the White House's March 2025 firing of Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, a Democratic appointee. Chief Justice John Roberts authored the majority opinion, finding that legal protections against such dismissals are unconstitutional.
The ruling dramatically reshapes the balance of power within the executive branch, eliminating firing protections for commissioners at agencies like the FTC, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Proponents argue it restores presidential accountability over the bureaucracy, while critics warn it undermines the independence of agencies designed to operate free from political pressure.
The decision split along ideological lines, with the court's six conservative justices in the majority and its three liberal justices—Sonia Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Elena Kagan—dissenting. The ruling overrules a 1935 precedent, Humphrey's Executor v. United States, which had restricted presidents from removing officials at multi-member regulatory commissions without cause.
Public opinion on the ruling is likely to mirror partisan divides. A recent AP-NORC poll found that Americans have grown less proud of their country's democracy over the past decade. The decision may energize both supporters of executive power and advocates for regulatory independence in the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections, with each side casting the ruling as either a victory for accountability or a threat to the administrative state.