SUPREME COURT BACKS TRUMP'S FTC FIRING

The decision significantly weakens protections for commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission and other independent agencies that have operated with removal restrictions for nearly a century. The ruling allows presidents greater authority to remove agency heads, a power that has been constrained since the 1935 Humphrey's Executor decision. That case established that presidents could not fire independent agency commissioners without cause, preserving agency autonomy from executive pressure. The FTC and similar agencies—including the Federal Reserve, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau—historically operated with bipartisan leadership and insulation from presidential control. The decision raises questions about the future independence of regulatory agencies that oversee major industries and consumer protections. Legal experts say the ruling could embolden presidents to reshape regulatory bodies more directly through personnel changes.