The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
December 9, 2025

Supreme Court Signals It Will Grant Trump Power to Fire Independent Agency Heads
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The U.S. Supreme Court signaled Monday it's prepared to make it easier
for President Trump to fire independent government officials, despite
laws barring the president from removing them without cause. On Monday,
the court heard oral arguments in the case of Federal Trade Commission
member Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, who was fired by the White House in
March. The court's right-wing majority cast doubt on a 90-year-old
precedent known as Humphrey's Executor, which grants a president the
power to fire a board member only for "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or
malfeasance in office." Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned that move
would "destroy the structure of government," while Justice Elena Kagan
warned it would grant the president near-unlimited power.

Justice Elena Kagan: "So, the result of what you want is that the
president is going to have massive, unchecked, uncontrolled power not
only to do traditional execution, but to make law through legislative
and adjudicative frameworks."

A ruling in the case is expected by June; until then, the Supreme Court
has allowed the White House's firing of Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and
other commissioners to remain in effect.


.