Chief Justice John Roberts let President Donald Trump remove a member of the Federal Trade Commission on Monday, the latest in string of high-profile firings allowed for now at the Supreme Court.
Trump moved to fire Rebecca Slaughter in the spring, but lower courts ordered her reinstated after she sued because the law only allows commissioners to be removed for problems like misconduct or neglect of duty.
The Justice Department has argued that the FTC and other executive branch agencies are under Trump’s control and the Republican president is free to remove commissioners without cause.
Trump dismissed Slaughter and another Democratic commissioner, Alvaro Bedoya, in March. In a letter to one of the commissioners, which the New York Timesreviewed, the President wrote “Your continued service on the F.T.C. Is inconsistent with my administration’s priorities .”
Slaughter has recently gone afterSnap for its AI chatbot and supported the 2024 ruling which banned noncompete agreements.