Free Republic

President Donald Trump secured one of the biggest constitutional victories of his presidency after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 91 year old precedent that had limited a president’s authority to remove officials from so called “independent” federal agencies. In a 6 to 3 ruling, the Court held that presidents have the constitutional authority to remove officials serving in executive branch agencies, striking down key parts of the Court’s 1935 decision in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States. The ruling immediately gives Trump the authority to remove Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, a Democrat whose case became the central test of...

President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fire Federal Trade Commission commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, who had been reinstated to that post after he had terminated her. Trump in March removed two Democratic commissioners from their posts at the FTC — Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya — as part of his sprawling effort to exert his influence over federal agencies.The question of “cause” for termination is also at the crux of Trump’s bid to remove Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook from her role. President Donald Trump on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fire...

The Senate voted on Wednesday to confirm Alvaro Bedoya for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – a person who has condemned Breitbart News, called Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) a “swamp dweller,” and called for an advertiser boycott of Fox News Channel. The Senate voted 51-50 to confirm Bedoya, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie. The Senate vote had been delayed after some Democrat senators contracted the coronavirus.

The Senate Commerce Committee advanced Gigi Sohn’s Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and Alvaro Bedoya’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) nominations, putting Democrats one step closer to being able to advance their leftist agenda, including censorship, at the agencies. The Committee tied, 14-14, on the two votes to advance Sohn and Bedoya out of committee. The FCC has been split at a 2-2 political tie between Republicans and Democrats, and Sohn’s confirmation would give Biden the FCC majority he needs to advance Democrat priorities. Since the committee tied on both nominees, the nominees will be referred to the Senate, but Senate Majority...