Congressional Democrats Urge Supreme Court to Limit Trump’s Power to Remove Officials of Independent Agencies

More than 200 congressional Democrats have signed onto an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in support of legislative limits on the president’s ability to fire key officials in independent agencies.

Submitted on Nov. 14, the brief came as part of a case in which the justices are expected to rule on whether President Donald Trump’s removal of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) member Rebecca Slaughter was invalid. Trump has asked the Supreme Court to reverse a lower court order reinstating Slaughter, alleging that Congress intruded on presidential authority by limiting the reasons for which he could remove her.