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Supreme Court takes up dispute over Trump's authority to fire FTC member
NBC News ^ | 9/22/25 | Lawrence Hurley

Posted on 09/22/2025 12:41:23 PM PDT by CFW

WASHINGTON — Taking up a major case on the structure of the federal government, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider whether President Donald Trump can fire a member of the Federal Trade Commission despite a law that limits his ability to do so.

While the court is deciding the case, a lower court ruling in favor of the commissioner in question, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, will remain on hold, the court said. That means she will not remain in office while the case is litigated.

(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ftc; scotus; slaughter; trump
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Opinion here:

Trump v Slaughter

1 posted on 09/22/2025 12:41:23 PM PDT by CFW
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To: CFW

“JUSTICE KAGAN, with whom JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR and
JUSTICE JACKSON join, dissenting from the grant of the application for stay.”


2 posted on 09/22/2025 12:43:18 PM PDT by CFW
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To: CFW

The Weird Sisters voting lockstep, of course.


3 posted on 09/22/2025 12:48:10 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
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To: CFW

So satisfying!


4 posted on 09/22/2025 12:48:27 PM PDT by mairdie
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To: CFW

He is the head of the Executive branch. The FTC is a department in the Executive branch.

Duh! What idiots in a robe not get that?


5 posted on 09/22/2025 12:48:49 PM PDT by Fledermaus ("It turns out all we really needed was a new President!")
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To: CFW

The Court is likely taking this to make a clear ruling on the merits and settle this once and for all.

My suspicion is that the forthcoming ruling will be aimed at affirming once and for all that federal agencies are part of the Executive Branch and must be accountable to the elected President, the Chief Executive.


6 posted on 09/22/2025 12:51:29 PM PDT by FlipWilson
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To: Fledermaus

From the (slanted) article:

“This year, Trump has also sought to remove members of other independent federal agencies, which the Supreme Court has allowed.

The Supreme Court, whose majority has been skeptical of the concept of independent federal agencies that are not subject to presidential control, has undermined such protections in recent years in a series of cases involving other agencies.

Trump has sought to dramatically re-shape the federal government using an aggressive form of executive power.”


7 posted on 09/22/2025 12:54:10 PM PDT by CFW
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To: Fledermaus
What idiots in a robe not get that?

They get it. They just don't like it.

In their version of the "Living & Breathing Constitution," the "law" is whatever they say it is.

8 posted on 09/22/2025 12:55:04 PM PDT by Ronaldus Magnus III (Do, or do not, there is no try )
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To: Fledermaus

“Independent” agencies sounds ridiculous on its face. That would mean our government is run totally by unelected and unknown department heads. Departments have to be under control of one of three branches. Naturally that would be the Executive branch; i.e. the President.


9 posted on 09/22/2025 12:58:04 PM PDT by CFW
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To: CFW

Democrats send a fresh bag of dice to the Supreme Court and ?.


10 posted on 09/22/2025 1:09:12 PM PDT by Vaduz
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To: CFW

There are no “independent agencies” of the government. Full stop. They all have to answer to some elected leader.


11 posted on 09/22/2025 1:13:18 PM PDT by HYPOCRACY (Wake up, smell the cat food in your bank account. )
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To: CFW

Correct.


12 posted on 09/22/2025 1:14:23 PM PDT by HYPOCRACY (Wake up, smell the cat food in your bank account. )
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To: FlipWilson

Lower liberal courts don’t follow SCOTUS rulings so it is never once and for all unless it’s against the “conservative” position because conservatives judges will follow SCOTUS rulings


13 posted on 09/22/2025 1:16:57 PM PDT by wiseprince (Me)
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To: CFW

If the person who gets almost 80m votes nation wide and wins the electoral college can’t staff his own administration then how exactly do the people control the government?


14 posted on 09/22/2025 1:18:41 PM PDT by wiseprince (Me)
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To: CFW

Why is justice Kagan referring to the president firing someone ‘without cause?’. She is exagerating.

The woman that was fired from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors was fired ‘for cause’ because she allegedly committed a federal crime by fraudulently getting two residential loans out of state, claiming in both that they were for her primary residence. My understanding is that she is in the process of getting indicted.

As much as President Trump wanted to fire Powell, he did not, because the law says he can only do it ‘for cause’. So, when he fired Lisa Cook he did it because he was acting within the bounds of his authority.


15 posted on 09/22/2025 1:22:55 PM PDT by Toughluck_freeper
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To: CFW

“despite a law that limits his ability to do so.”

I guess that is to be determined!


16 posted on 09/22/2025 1:26:25 PM PDT by Fido969
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To: CFW

What is point of an chief executive of the U.S. if he can’t be an executive when it comes to who gets to stay and who gets to go under that branch?


17 posted on 09/22/2025 2:15:36 PM PDT by lastchance (Cognovit Dominus qui sunt eius.)
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To: CFW

SCOTUS just ruled for the president.
You can’t spell Rebecca Slaughter without laughter. heh


18 posted on 09/22/2025 2:26:53 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
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To: Fledermaus
He is the head of the Executive branch. The FTC is a department in the Executive branch. Duh! What idiots in a robe not get that?

In fairness, only two of the three are idiots. Kagan is smart.

That aside, the law as it now stands is actually on their side. The law that created the FTC in the first place limited the President's ability to fire the commissioners. And there is a Supreme Court precedent directly on point confirming that. Google "Humphrey's Executor".

What is really going on here is that the rest of the Supreme Court is considering overturning that 90 year old precedent.

Personally, I agree that it should be overturned for the very reason you gave. But in this case, I can't honestly say that the dissenters are being idiots because they are actually following a Supreme Court precedent that is still good law.

19 posted on 09/22/2025 2:51:52 PM PDT by Bruce Campbells Chin ( )
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To: Fledermaus

If they don’t like it they can petition to change the constitution and add a 4th branch of gov’t.

Which btw: Why is it the courts say they can’t tell congress what to do (like J6 committee going against their own rules) but they can tell the executive branch what to do?


20 posted on 09/22/2025 3:04:13 PM PDT by for-q-clinton (ui)
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