On June 29, 2026, the Supreme Court invalidated the statutory for-cause-removal protections for the commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission. In Trump v. Slaughter, the Court held by 6-3 vote that these commissioners and, by extension, commissioners of other independent agencies designated as such by law, including the Federal Communications Commission, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, serve at the pleasure of the President and can be removed without a showing of malfeasance or neglect of duty. Notwithstanding agency enabling statutory provisions to the contrary, the Court found that these officials serve at the pleasure of the President and can be removed at will.
The Supreme Court based its decision on the Constitution’s requirement that the executive power of the United States be vested in a single individual—the President. Adopting the “unitary executive” theory, it reasoned that “[s]… Read the complete article here...
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