The United States Supreme Court on Monday expanded President Donald Trump's authority, allowing him to dismiss a member of the Federal Trade Commission in a move that strengthens the administration's power to place political allies in senior positions at independent agencies — though with an exception for the Federal Reserve.
Trump has made no secret of his desire to expand his powers to the greatest possible extent and to appoint loyalists to positions across all levels of the administration.
Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has carried out a series of dismissals and also attempted to remove Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook in an unprecedented move in the institution's history.
Many of these cases have ended up before the Supreme Court, whose conservative majority Trump succeeded in cementing during his first term.
In a 6-to-3 ruling, the Court revisited a legal precedent dating back more than 90 years to 1935, which had barred the president from dismissing an official at an independent agency without cause.
The Court examined this case specifically in relation to Rebecca Slaughter, a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission — the US authority responsible for antitrust enforcement and the protection of competition.
The Court ruled that