WASHINGTON, June 29: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday significantly expanded President Donald Trump’s authority to remove leaders of executive branch agencies, overturning a 91-year-old precedent that had limited the president’s power to dismiss Senate-confirmed officials, according to Politico.
However, the court declined to immediately permit Trump’s removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, allowing her to remain on the Board of Governors while litigation continues.
In a 6-3 decision split along ideological lines, the court overturned the 1935 Humphrey’s Executor precedent, which had allowed Congress to restrict the president’s authority to remove the heads of certain independent agencies except for “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.”
Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said the precedent could no longer be sustained in a case involving Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, whom Trump sought to dismiss in March 2025.
“If anything more is left of Humphrey’s, we overrule it,” Roberts wrote. “This is not a close case. … The FTC unquestionably exercises executive power and must therefore be controlled by the Chief Executive, in whom such power is vested. It follows, then, that Slaughter served as the President’s subordinate at the FTC—and that the President was entitled to cut her tenure short.”
According to Politico, Slaughter was informed by the White House via email that her continued service was “inconsistent with the Administration’s priorities,” without receiving a more detailed explanation for her dismissal.
In a separate 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s request to immediately remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, allowing her to remain in office while legal proceedings continue.
Trump sought Cook’s dismissal last August, alleging “deceitful and potentially criminal conduct” related to mortgage applications. Cook has denied any wrongdoing.
Roberts, writing for the majority in the Cook case, said the administration failed to provide the minimum procedural protections required for her removal.
“The President’s post did not suggest that a response from Cook would be appropriate, nor did it even provide a clear account of the charge made against her. It instead read simply, ‘Cook must resign, now!!!’ and linked to a news article,” Roberts wrote.
“That will not do. At minimum, Cook was entitled to some explanation of the evidence at issue, some avenue for a response, and a deadline by which a response would be due,” he added.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined Roberts and the court’s three liberal justices in the decision involving Cook.
The ruling does not permanently prevent Trump from removing Cook but requires the administration to restart the process while providing appropriate due process protections, Politico reported.
The court did not specify what level of evidence would ultimately justify Cook’s removal.
The decision is expected to reinforce the Federal Reserve’s institutional independence as the central bank continues to navigate monetary policy amid persistent inflation.
According to Politico, newly appointed Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh faces the prospect of raising interest rates despite President Trump’s repeated calls for lower borrowing costs.
Following the ruling, Cook said the administration’s effort to remove her “was never about mortgage documents signed years before I became a Federal Reserve governor.”
“The Supreme Court’s decision to leave the lower court’s order in place and affirm the need for real process and real cause recognizes that Federal Reserve independence is essential to fulfilling the congressional mandate of price stability and maximum employment,” Cook said, according to Politico. (ANI)
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