Supreme Court lets presidents fire independent regulators, rules for Trump in FTC case

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that President Donald Trump did have the authority to fire Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter . The 6-3 ruling gives Trump and future presidents the power to remove members of supposedly independent federal agencies that carry out functions under the executive branch of government. The majority, comprised of all six conservative justices, found that the FTC's provision that commissioners could be removed by a president only for cause "is contrary to the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution." "Independent agencies are not so independent after all," conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in a concurring opinion to the majority decision. The ruling effectively overturns a key Supreme Court precedent known as "Humphrey's Executor," which had served as a protection for members of independent agencies from firing by a president. Trump, in a Truth Social post on the ruling, called it a "BIG WIN." "This Decision was long sought by United States Presidents, dating all the way back to the 1930s," Trump wrote. "It is such an Honor to be the sitting President who won this Historic and Unprecedented Ruling, one of the most important ever given with respect to Presidential Powers." At the White House later, Trump was asked if he expected to fire more people as a result of the ruling. "I don't think so," Trump told reporters. …