A U.S. federal judge ruled Thursday that President Donald Trump’s firing of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) member Rebecca Kelly Slaughter earlier this year was unlawful. U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan stated the dismissal violated longstanding federal protections that shield FTC commissioners from politically motivated removal.
“Because those protections remain constitutional, as they have for almost a century, Ms. Slaughter’s purported removal was unlawful and without legal effect,” AliKhan wrote in the decision. The court reinforced the principle that FTC commissioners can only be removed for just cause—such as misconduct or failure to perform duties—a precedent established by the Supreme Court nearly 90 years ago.
Slaughter welcomed the ruling, saying, “The for-cause removal protections that apply to my colleagues and me at the FTC also protect other independent economic regulators like the SEC, FDIC, and Federal Reserve.” Her statement emphasized the importance of agency independence from direct presidential control.
The controversy stems from the Trump administration’s March attempt to remove both Slaughter and fellow Democratic commissioner Alvaro Bedoya. Bedoya, who resigned in June for another role, is not part of the lawsuit.
The White House responded by citing the President’s constitutional authority to dismiss executive officials and confirmed plans to appeal the decision. The Supreme Court, now with a 6-3 conservative majority, recently ruled in favor of presidential power over other regulatory bodies, suggesting this case could ultimately reach the high court.
Judge AliKhan asserted that the administration sought to turn the FTC into a subservient agency, contradicting its intended independent structure. The FTC, which limits the number of commissioners from a single party to three out of five, is currently led by three Republicans.