The U.S. Supreme Court dramatically expanded presidential power on Monday when it ruled to uphold President Donald Trump’s firing of the heads of independent federal agencies.
However, the top court stood firm against its decision to sack the governor of the US central bank Federal Reserve.
In a series of rulings, the court 5-4 rejected Trump’s decision to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook from office in 2025.
But it held that presidents have the flexibility to fire agency heads at will, overruling a nearly century-old landmark ruling. The court upheld Trump’s decision to fire Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter over policy differences.
What do we know about the Supreme Court’s decision on Cook’s firing?
Trump last August tried to remove Cook, the first Black woman to serve as a Fed governor, citing unproven mortgage fraud allegations, which she dismissed. Cook argued that the allegations were a pretext to remove him due to monetary policy differences.
Trump has openly attacked the Federal Reserve as he pressures the world’s largest central bank to cut interest rates more quickly and deeply.
On Monday, the court’s Chief Justice John Roberts and fellow conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh were among those who ruled against Trump’s decision.
Roberts said that Federal Reserve governors “do not serve at the will of the President – instead they serve for a 14-year term, and can only be removed ‘for cause.’
The Court argued that the President cannot remove independent Fed officials “for any reason or no reason.”
What did the Supreme Court say about Trump’s firing powers?
However, the court, in a separate 6-3 decision, sided with Trump’s firing of Slaughter, a Democratic Federal Trade Commission member, thereby expanding his presidential powers over the executive branch of government.
The decision overturned a 1935 Supreme Court precedent that had recognized the right of Congress to protect the leaders of certain regulatory agencies from removal by the President at will.
Trump had dismissed Slaughter over policy differences, but a lower court ruling blocked the dismissal, citing a 1935 decision known as the Humphrey Executioner decision.
Slaughter was appointed to the position by former President and fellow Democrat Joe Biden. She was one of two Democratic FTC commissioners fired by Trump shortly after his return to the White House last year. His tenure was to last till 2029.
Trump celebrates one decision, condemns another
Trump welcomed the verdict on the Slaughter case as a “big victory”. He said on social media that the decision was “affirming the president’s power in our country to remove executive branch officials and agency appointees, or representatives, under Article II,” the constitutional provision that sets out the president’s powers.
“This decision has long been sought by Presidents of the United States, dating back to the 1930s,” Trump wrote. He described the decision as “one of the most important decisions ever made regarding the powers of the President.”
Meanwhile, his tone changed dramatically when addressing the verdict on Cook.
“We will immediately take appropriate action to ensure that whoever committed the wrongdoing will no longer make important decisions related to the welfare of the United States!” Trump described the Supreme Court’s decision as “strictly procedural” in a social media post.
Court upholds $5 million sexual harassment verdict against Trump
In a separate decision, the Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Trump’s bid to overturn a $5 million (about €4.38 million) judgment in favor of E. Jean Carroll after a jury found the US president guilty of sexually assaulting and defaming the former magazine columnist.
A lower court upheld the jury’s verdict in 2023, rejecting Trump’s arguments that the trial was unfair.
In her 2019 memoir, Carroll alleged that Trump raped her in a dressing room at a Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan around 1996. Trump repeatedly denied the allegation.
Trump expressed disappointment at the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the appeal and called Carroll’s lawsuit a “bogus case.”
“I will continue to fight this weapon and the legal case against me, including the ridiculous claim of defamation, with all my might and strength. This case is truly against the United States of America, and all it stands for, and should never be allowed to happen to any other President or candidate!” Trump wrote on social media.
Edited by: Srinivas Majumdaru
Don’t let algorithms hide news. If you trust our team for reliable reporting, please take a moment to select us as your preferred source on Google click here And press the “Star” or “Favorite” button, so you always see our verified news first.