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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →President Donald Trump removed Democratic FTC commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya in March 2025, despite a federal law that then allowed commissioners to be removed only for specified causes. On June 29, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in Trump v. Slaughter that the FTC’s for-cause protection violates the Constitution and overruled the 1935 precedent that had upheld it. The decision left Slaughter’s removal in effect; Bedoya’s claim was dismissed after he resigned.
What happened to the two FTC Democrats Trump fired?
In March 2025, Trump removed commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya. The notices, as described by the Supreme Court, said their continued service was inconsistent with administration priorities and invoked the president’s Article II authority. The opinion says the notices did not cite “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office,” the causes named in the FTC Act.
Slaughter challenged her removal. Bedoya later resigned, and his claims were dismissed as moot, so the Supreme Court decided Slaughter’s case. The Court’s June 29, 2026 opinion is available here.
What did the FTC Act and the earlier Supreme Court precedent provide?
The FTC Act provides for five commissioners serving seven-year terms. It says a commissioner may be removed only “for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” In Humphrey’s Executor v. United States (1935), the Supreme Court upheld that FTC-specific restriction on presidential removal.
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That precedent controlled when the district court considered Slaughter’s case in July 2025. It granted her summary judgment and ordered relief restoring her to office. The court’s July 17 order is available here.
How did the case reach the Supreme Court?
- July 2025: The district court applied Humphrey’s Executor and ordered relief for Slaughter.
- September 2025: The Supreme Court stayed the district court’s order, treated the government’s application as a petition for review before judgment, and agreed to hear the case. It directed briefing on the FTC removal restriction, whether to overrule Humphrey’s Executor, and whether courts may prevent removal from public office. The Supreme Court docket records the proceedings.
- December 8, 2025: The Court heard oral argument.
- June 29, 2026: The Court issued its decision.
The D.C. Circuit’s September 2, 2025 order is available here.
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What did the Supreme Court decide?
In a 6–3 decision, the Court held that the FTC Act’s for-cause removal protection is unconstitutional and overruled Humphrey’s Executor. The majority comprised Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.
The Court framed its decision around Article II, which vests executive power in the president and assigns the president responsibility for executing the laws. Its syllabus states: “The FTC’s for-cause removal provision is contrary to the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution.” The syllabus is prepared for convenience; the opinion itself is the Court’s controlling explanation.
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Can the president fire FTC commissioners now?
Under Trump v. Slaughter, the FTC Act’s for-cause limit cannot prevent the president from removing a commissioner. The ruling resolved the dispute over the FTC provision and left Slaughter’s removal in effect. It is not a ruling on every independent regulator: the implications for other agencies depend on their governing statutes and any later proceedings.
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