SCOTUS gives mixed rulings on Trump's control over federal agencies

What This is

• The Supreme Court issued paired rulings that blocked President Trump from immediately firing a Federal Reserve governor while expanding his power to fire leaders of other independent federal agencies.
• In a 6–3 decision, the court ruled that Congress cannot broadly shield officials on multi-member independent agencies from being fired by the president, overruling the 1935 Humphrey’s Executor precedent.
• That 6–3 ruling cleared the way for Trump to remove Federal Trade Commission commissioner Rebecca Slaughter and weakened job protections across more than two dozen similar agencies.
• In a 5–4 decision, the court kept Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook in her job while her legal challenge proceeds, leaving in place protections that require cause and process before a Fed governor can be removed.
• Roberts treated the Federal Reserve as an exception because of its unique structure, even as the court otherwise expanded presidential control over independent agencies.

Why This Matters

• The decisions reallocate control of federal regulation between Congress and the president, affecting how democratic accountability is balanced against insulation from politics.
• By weakening removal protections, future presidents can more quickly reshape enforcement priorities across labor, consumer, competition, and communications policy.
• Treating the Federal Reserve differently highlights the institutional value of keeping interest-rate decisions credible and perceived as nonpartisan.
• The rulings advance a presidency-centered theory of executive power that may constrain Congress’s ability to design independent oversight bodies.