Regulations · independent agencies
The independent regulators
For ninety years, the commissioners who run agencies like the Federal Trade Commission and the National Labor Relations Board could be removed only for cause, so no president could fire a regulator for ruling the wrong way. In 2025 President Trump fired or tried to fire members of at least nine independent boards, commissions, and offices, and several boards could no longer decide cases for months. In June 2026 the Supreme Court, 6–3, held that he could: the FTC's protection from at-will removal is unconstitutional, and “if anything more is left” of the 1935 precedent, the Court overruled it. The ruling set the Federal Reserve apart as a possible exception and left the judges of non-Article III courts, such as the Tax Court, for another day.
Who was removed
| When | Who | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 27, 2025 | Gwynne Wilcox National Labor Relations Board | Reinstated by a district court, then removed again after the Supreme Court stayed that order (May 2025). Source |
| Jan 27, 2025 | Charlotte Burrows, Jocelyn Samuels Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | Not reinstated. Source |
| Feb 2025 | Cathy Harris Merit Systems Protection Board | Reinstated by a district court; Supreme Court stayed the reinstatement (May 2025). Source |
| Feb 2025 | Hampton Dellinger Office of Special Counsel (whistleblower protection) | Briefly reinstated by a court; later dropped his case. Source |
| Mar 2025 | Rebecca Slaughter, Alvaro Bedoya Federal Trade Commission | Supreme Court upheld the firing 6–3 in Trump v. Slaughter (June 29, 2026), overruling what was left of the 1935 Humphrey's Executor decision. Source |
| Apr 2025 | Todd Harper, Tanya Otsuka National Credit Union Administration | A district court ruled the firings unlawful (July 2025); neither was listed among the agency's leaders in October 2026. Source |
| May 2025 | Mary Boyle, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, Richard Trumka Jr. Consumer Product Safety Commission | Reinstated by a district court; Supreme Court stayed that order (July 2025). Source |
| Jun 2025 | Christopher Hanson Nuclear Regulatory Commission | No lawsuit found. Source |
| Aug 2025 | Lisa Cook (attempted) Federal Reserve Board | The Supreme Court, 5–4, left in place the order keeping her in office while her lawsuit continues (Trump v. Cook, June 29, 2026). The Slaughter ruling names the Fed as a possible exception. Source |
Boards that could not act
Months without enough members to decide cases after the 2025 removals. Without a quorum the labor board cannot rule on unfair-labor-practice cases, the merit board cannot hear federal employees' appeals, and the EEOC cannot vote on major discrimination suits or guidance.
The other side
The Court's majority held that the Constitution vests all executive power in the president, so officials who wield it must answer to him; the dissent warned the ruling lets any president bend nominally independent regulators to his will. Presidents of both parties have long pushed on these limits, and the decision now applies to future presidents too.