Topline
The Supreme Court will consider Monday whether to give President Donald Trump increased power to fire federal officials as it hears oral arguments in a landmark case that could overturn a 90-year-old precedent.
President Donald Trump receives the FIFA Peace Prize at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 5 in Washington, DC.
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Key Facts
The Court will hear oral arguments Monday in Trump v. Slaughter, a case that challenges Trump’s firing of Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter and more broadly asks the court to reconsider its precedent in the 1935 ruling Humphrey’s Executor v. United States.
In Humphrey’s Executor, the Supreme Court ruled presidents can only fire federal executives who serve on independent boards—like the Federal Trade Commission—for “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office,” and do not serve at the pleasure of the president.
Trump has repeatedly challenged that precedent in his second term, firing Slaughter and numerous other independent board members at the National Labor Relations Board, Merit Systems Protection Board and Consumer Product Safety Commission, among others.
The court will decide whether to keep the Humphrey’s Executor precedent and restrict Trump’s ability to fire officials, or overturn it and give Trump more authority.
Trump has also asked the Supreme Court to rule that presidents can fire officials without court interference, meaning if Trump fires someone in the future, it could not be challenged in court and the president’s decisions would have to stand.
What To Watch For
Hints on Monday on how the court will rule. Justices will hear oral arguments and will rule in the coming months, sometime before their term ends in late June 2026. The court has previously blocked a court ruling against Slaughter’s firing, meaning she cannot serve as a Federal Trade Commissioner while the court deliberates.