Trump Asks Supreme Court To Let Him Fire FTC Chair

Trump is seeking Supreme Court Intervention to Fire FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter. On Friday President Donald Trump petitioned the Supreme Court to allow him to remove Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, challenging lower court rulings that reinstated her after her March 2025 dismissal. 

Trump is requesting a pause on her reinstatement pending his appeal.

White House spokesperson Kush Desai defended the president’s actions, stating, “President Trump acted lawfully when he removed Rebecca Slaughter from the FTC. The Supreme Court has recently confirmed the President’s authority to remove heads of executive agencies twice, and we anticipate vindication again, hoping lower courts will align with Supreme Court precedent.”

In March, Trump fired Slaughter and fellow Democratic FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya as part of a broader effort to assert control over federal agencies. However, earlier this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, in a 2-1 decision, upheld a July 2025 lower court ruling by U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan, which deemed Slaughter’s termination illegal. 

The appeals court cited the 1935 Supreme Court precedent Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, affirming that FTC commissioners can only be removed for cause, such as neglect of duty or malfeasance, which Trump did not provide. 

Slaughter resumed her role at the FTC following the appeals court’s decision.

The case, likely headed to the Supreme Court, tests the limits of presidential authority over independent agencies, with implications for the FTC’s bipartisan structure and its role in consumer protection and antitrust enforcement.