The Supreme Court just handed President Trump a 6-3 ruling that confirms a sitting president can remove executive branch officers, agency appointees, and representatives from independent federal agencies. As The American Tribune reported, this overturns roughly 90 years of precedent, and it came out of a case that started with a woman getting fired while helping her kid practice lines for a school play. You truly cannot make this stuff up.
The case, Trump v. Slaughter, centers on Rebecca Slaughter, a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission who was originally appointed by Trump himself back in 2018. In March 2025, she received an email informing her that the president had shown her the door. Her reaction, as reported by The Guardian, was about what you would expect.
"My stomach just dropped," Slaughter said. "I was really hoping that it would avoid us, both because I love my job, but really more because I love the agency. I just knew this was going to be a big fight and pretty unpleasant and pretty destructive to this institution that I really valued."
She then called up Alvaro Bedoya, the other Democratic commissioner at the FTC, only to learn he had also been given the boot. Both filed a lawsuit challenging their firings. A federal judge reinstated Slaughter in July 2025, the administration appealed, and the Supreme Court allowed the removal to stand while the case proceeded. Then in June 2026, the highest court in the land settled it for good with a 6-3 decision expanding presidential authority over independent agencies.
Presidents have apparently wanted this power since the 1930s. Ninety years of trying, and Trump is the one who finally got it done. Say what you want about the man, but his batting average with the Supreme Court is something else entirely.
Trump, naturally, took to Truth Social to celebrate. "BIG WIN at the Supreme Court, in the Slaughter Case, confirming Presidential Power in our Country to remove Executive Branch Officers and Agency Appointees, or Representatives, under Article II," he wrote. "This Decision was long sought by United States Presidents, dating all the way back to the 1930s. It is such an Honor to be the sitting President who won this Historic and Unprecedented Ruling, one of the most important ever given with respect to Presidential Powers. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
In a follow up post, he added: "To show the importance of the Slaughter Case, 90 years of precedent has been COMPLETELY AND UNEQUIVOCALLY OVERRULED, greatly increasing Presidential Power at a time when it is most needed!"
So there you have it. Every future president, regardless of party, now has the authority to clean house at independent agencies whenever they see fit. That is either a massive win for executive accountability or a recipe for chaos, depending on which side of the aisle you are sitting on and who happens to be in the Oval Office at the time. Something tells me the enthusiasm for this ruling will shift dramatically the next time the other team is in charge.
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