A federal judge on Thursday rehired the Democrat FTC Commissioner who was fired by President Trump earlier this year.
US District Judge Loren AliKhan, a Biden appointee, said President Trump’s firing of Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, the Democrat FTC Commissioner was illegal.
The Trump Administration will promptly appeal this order.
Politico reported:
A federal judge has restored commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter to her role at the Federal Trade Commission, ruling that President Donald Trump’s attempt to fire the Democratic appointee in March was illegal.
U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan issued the order on Thursday, saying that the Trump administration’s firings violated the FTC Act and protections under a 1935 Supreme Court precedent that prevented a president from unilaterally firing officials at independent agencies.
“Because those protections remain constitutional, as they have for almost a century, Ms. Slaughter’s purported removal was unlawful and without legal effect,” AliKhan wrote in her opinion.
In March President Trump fired both Democrat commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
And they both sued to get their jobs back.
“President Donald Trump fired two Democratic commissioners at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday, in another major test of the independence of regulatory agencies,” NBC News reported in March.
“A White House official confirmed the firings of Democratic Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter after they were first reported by Reuters, but had no additional comment,” the outlet reported.
“President Donald J. Trump is the head of the executive branch and is vested with all of the executive power in our government. I have no doubts about his constitutional authority to remove Commissioners, which is necessary to ensure democratic accountability for our government. The Federal Trade Commission will continue its tireless work to protect consumers, lower prices, and police anticompetitive behavior,” Andrew Ferguson, Chairman of the FTC said in a statement.
“I wish Commissioners Slaughter and Bedoya well, and I thank them for their service,” he added.
— Andrew Ferguson (@AFergusonFTC) March 18, 2025
