Federal judge rules Trump's axing of a former Democratic FTC commissioner was illegal

A federal judge on Thursday ruled that President Donald Trump's decision to fire a former commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was illegal and restored the employee to her role.

The Trump administration fired multiple FTC commissioners in March, who were appointed under the Biden administration, including former commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya. Both have claimed the firings were illegal.

U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan only ruled in Slaughter's case, finding the administration’s attempt to remove Slaughter violated the FTC Act and precedent set by the Supreme Court in 1935 that says a president could only fire FTC commissioners for cause, including neglect of duties, inefficiency or malfeasance. 

“Because those protections remain constitutional, as they have for almost a century, Ms. Slaughter’s purported removal was unlawful and without legal effect,” AliKhan wrote in her opinion, according to Reuters.

The Trump administration said it would appeal the decision, Politico reported, which could eventually set the case up for a Supreme Court battle.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.