Supreme Court May Let Trump Fire More Federal Officials, Justices Indicate [View all]

Source: Forbes

BREAKING * BUSINESS

Supreme Court May Let Trump Fire More Federal Officials, Justices Indicate

By Alison Durkee, Forbes Staff. Alison is a senior news reporter covering US politics and legal news.
Dec 08, 2025 at 12:58pm EST

TOPLINE
The Supreme Court considered Monday whether to give President Donald Trump increased power to fire federal officials, hearing oral arguments in a landmark case on the president's control over independent board members, and the court's conservative-leaning justices suggested they were willing to overturn a 90-year-old precedent and give Trump more power.

KEY FACTS
* The Court heard 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.

* Multiple conservative-leaning justices suggested during oral arguments Monday they were willing to strike down Humphrey's Executor, criticizing the precedent as an outdated "husk."

* 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.

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Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2025/12/08/supreme-court-may-let-trump-fire-more-federal-officials-justices-indicate/