Supreme Court Rules on Presidential Power to Fire Officials

On Monday morning, the Supreme Court determined that President Donald Trump has the authority to dismiss officials within the executive branch.

In a 6-3 decision regarding Trump v. Slaughter, the court found that the clause allowing for cause-based removal of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) officials breached the constitutional separation of powers.

The ruling emphasized that executive branch officers, as positions created by the President, must be removable by the President directly.

Back in March 2025, Trump fired Rebecca Slaughter, who had previously worked for New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, from her position at the FTC. Trump claimed that retaining Slaughter would contradict the priorities laid out by his administration.

Chief Justice John Roberts authored the majority opinion, supported by Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Justice Clarence Thomas also participated, while Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a dissent, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

The court’s ruling, which addressed the ability of the President to dismiss FTC commissioners, overturned previous legal interpretations and reaffirmed the separation of powers within the Constitution.

Additionally, the court made public its decision in a related case, Trump v. Cook, which involves the potential removal of Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve Board. In this instance, the court ruled that Trump could not terminate Cook while ongoing litigation persisted. The case arose after allegations about Cook falsifying mortgage documents were brought to the Department of Justice by the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The court dismissed the government’s arguments, noting that the Federal Reserve was established by Congress and must adhere to its own termination procedures. They clarified that allowing the executive branch to dismiss Federal Reserve officials at will would deviate from the statutory framework set by Congress, as well as disrupt the foundational principle of protecting the institution from political influence.