US Supreme Court vastly expands Trump's presidential power
The court reversed a 1935 precedent restricting presidential powers to remove heads of independent agencies. However, it barred Trump from firing Fed Governor Lisa Cook
The court reversed a 1935 precedent restricting presidential powers to remove heads of independent agencies. However, it barred Trump from firing Fed Governor Lisa Cook, preserving the central bank's independence. The US Supreme Court on Monday dramatically expanded presidential power when it ruled to uphold President Donald Trump's firings of the heads of independent federal agencies. The top court, however, stood firm against his decision to fire the governor of the Federal Reserve, the US central bank. Among a series of rulings, the court voted 5-4 to reject Trump's 2025 firing of Fed Governor Lisa Cook. But it held that presidents have free rein to fire agency heads at will, overruling a landmark decision that dates back to almost a century. The court upheld Trump's dismissal of Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter over policy differences. What do we know about the Supreme Court's ruling on Cook's firing? Trump last August tried to oust Cook, the first Black woman to serve as a Fed governor, citing unproven mortgage fraud allegations which she denied. Cook argued the allegations were a pretext to remove her for monetary policy differences. Trump has openly attacked the Federal Reserve as he exercised pressure on the world's biggest central bank to cut interest rates more rapidly and deeply.
On Monday, the court's Chief Justice John Roberts and fellow conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh were among those who ruled against Trump's decision. Roberts said the Federal Reserve's governors "do not serve at the president's pleasure — they instead serve staggered 14 year terms, and may be removed only 'for cause.'" The court argued that the president cannot remove officials at the independent Fed "for any reason or no reason." Trump's move to fire US Fed Governor raises concerns To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video What did the Supreme Court say about Trump's firing powers? However, the court in a separate 6-3 ruling backed Trump's firing of Democratic Federal Trade Commission member Slaughter, expanding his presidential powers over the executive branch of government. The ruling overturned the Supreme Court's 1935 precedent that had recognized the authority of Congress to protect leaders of certain regulatory agencies from presidential removal at will. Trump had dismissed Slaughter over policy differences, but a lower court ruling blocked the dismissal, citing the 1935 ruling, known as Humphrey's Executor ruling. Slaughter was appointed to the post by former President and fellow Democrat Joe Biden. She was one of two Democratic FTC commissioners fired by Trump shortly after his return to the White House last year.
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