Supreme Court Weighs Ending 90-Year Precedent Protecting Independent Agency Heads

The Supreme Court is deliberating on Trump v. Slaughter, a landmark case centered on President Trump's March 2025 firing of FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter without cause, directly challenging the 1935 Humphrey's Executor precedent that shielded independent agency heads from at-will presidential removal. All six conservative justices signaled during December 2025 oral arguments that they favor expansive presidential removal power, with Chief Justice Roberts calling Humphrey's Executor 'a dried husk.' A separate but related case, Trump v. Cook, concerns Trump's attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, where the Court has appeared more cautious and suggested the Fed may occupy a 'uniquely structured' constitutional position warranting stronger protection. A ruling in both cases is expected by the end of June 2026 and could reshape the administrative state by making more than two dozen independent agencies — from the FTC to the NLRB to the CPSC — subject to direct presidential control. The Federal Reserve's independence, backed by every living former Fed chair, former Treasury secretaries, and economists across party lines, hangs in the constitutional balance.

Answer where you stand first — what you want and what you expect are different questions.