- U.S. Supreme Court allows Trump to dismiss FTC commissioner despite existing legal limits.
- Rebecca Slaughter vows to continue court battle against her removal.
- Case challenges long-standing legal precedent limiting presidential power over independent agencies.
The United States Supreme Court has temporarily allowed U.S President Donald Trump to dismiss a member of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), despite a long-standing law that limits presidential control over the agency.
According to Eko Hot Blog, a ruling led by Chief Justice John Roberts, the apex court halted a lower court decision that had briefly reinstated Rebecca Kelly Slaughter to the commission.
EDITOR’S PICK
- Strike Averted As Dangote Allow Refinery Workers Join NUPENG
- Tambuwal’s Comments On Me, Tinubu, Won’t Go Unanswered – Wike
- Lagos Taskforce Dislodges Illegal Street Traders at Mile 2
The legal battle over her dismissal is still ongoing.
Though the Supreme Court has not given a final judgment on whether the president can remove independent agency officials without clear cause, the recent order suggests it is leaning toward supporting broader presidential authority.
Slaughter, who returned briefly to the FTC after a court ruling in her favour, vowed to continue her legal fight.
“My short time back at the FTC showed me even more clearly how vital transparency and accountability are, just as Congress intended when setting up independent agencies,” she said.
In March, Trump sacked both Democratic commissioners on the five-member FTC – Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya.
While both challenged the action, Bedoya later withdrew from the case. Slaughter remains listed as a commissioner on the FTC website as the matter continues through the courts.
The firings bring back legal questions surrounding a 1935 Supreme Court case, Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, which had previously upheld limits on a president’s power to remove FTC commissioners without justified cause.
The original FTC law from 1914 states commissioners can only be removed for reasons like inefficiency, neglect of duty, or misconduct.
