The US Supreme Court on Monday ruled 6-3 to allow President Trump to fire Biden-appointed Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter and other political appointees from executive branch agencies.
Last March, President Trump fired both Democratic commissioners at the FTC. The Supreme Court previously allowed Trump to fire Slaughter, but today’s decision overturns Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, giving Trump lawful authority to fire agency heads across the executive branch.
Justice Clarence Thomas previously blasted the 1935 Humphrey’s Executor decision.
“Humphrey’s Executor poses a direct threat to our constitutional structure and, as a result, the liberty of the American people . . . Our tolerance of independent agencies in Humphrey’s Executor is an unfortunate example of the Court’s failure to apply the Constitution as written. That decision has paved the way for an ever-expanding encroachment on the power of the Executive, contrary to our constitutional design,” Justice Thomas wrote.
“If anything more is left of Humphrey’s, we overrule it,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion. “Humphrey’s has for decades been a result in search of a rationale.”
More from the Hill:
In an expansion of presidential power, the ruling gives Trump the right to sack Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, a Democratic appointee who took center stage in his quest to set aside constraints on his removal authority.
It formally overturns the high court’s 1935 landmark decision, Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, which laid the groundwork for certain agencies across the executive branch to enjoy a degree of independence from the White House. These agencies regulate vast swaths of American life, including labor disputes, federal employee rights, workplace discrimination, credit unions, product recalls, plane accidents and more.
“If anything more is left of Humphrey’s, we overrule it,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority.
Beyond the FTC, the decision stands to impact roughly two dozen multimember agencies across the government, allowing a president to install appointees who fit his political mold.
Trump responded to the ruling, calling it “one of the most important ever.”
“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,” he said:
BIG WIN just moments ago at the Supreme Court, in the Slaughter Case, confirming Presidential Power in our Country to remove Executive Branch Officers and Agency Appointees, or Representatives, under Article II. This Decision was long sought by United States Presidents, dating all the way back to the 1930s. 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. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
In a follow-up post, Trump wrote, “To show the importance of the Slaughter Case, 90 years of precedent has been COMPLETELY AND UNEQUIVOCALLY OVERRULED, greatly increasing Presidential Power at a time when it is most needed!”
Jordan Conradson is The Gateway Pundit’s White House correspondent. Jordan has played a critical role in exposing fraud and corruption in Arizona’s elections and elected officials. His reporting on election crimes in Maricopa County led to the resignation of one election official, and he was later banned from the Maricopa County press room for his courage in pursuit of the truth. TGP and Jordan finally gained access after suing Maricopa County, America’s fourth largest county, and winning at the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Conradson looks forward to bringing his aggressive style of journalism to the Swamp.
You can email Jordan Conradson here, and read more of Jordan Conradson’s articles here.
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