Slaughter v. Trump (Slaughter FTC Appeal)

The President's removal of sitting FTC Commissioners directly tests Humphrey's Executor's prohibition on at-will removal of independent agency officials—for the first time since FDR's original removal of William Humphrey 92 years prior. Under current law established by Seila Law, multi-member commissions retain greater removal protections than single-head agencies, but the government contends the President's unitary executive power to control subordinate officers overrides these structural limitations. The lower courts found the removal violated Humphrey's Executor because Congress established the FTC with explicit for-cause protections, reasoning that structural independence for multi-member bodies remains constitutionally permissible even under modern removal doctrine. The Supreme Court must decide whether Humphrey's Executor survives in its current form or whether intervening constitutional theory about presidential authority requires narrowing or eliminating the protection for independent commissioners.