Overview
- On Monday the Court overturned the 1935 Humphrey’s Executor precedent in a 6–3 ruling, holding that Congress cannot broadly insulate heads of many independent agencies from presidential removal.
- In a separate 5–4 opinion the Court blocked President Trump’s immediate attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, finding the administration failed to give required notice and a fair chance to respond.
- Cook will remain on the Fed’s Board of Governors while her case returns to lower courts for factual development and review of the statutory removal process.
- The Slaughter decision opens the door to at‑will removal at agencies with similar statutory protections, putting leaders at the FTC, NLRB, SEC and others at greater risk of presidential dismissal.
- The split rulings create a new legal map for executive control: the Fed keeps distinct procedural shields for now, political pressure on other regulators will likely rise, and markets and Congress may face follow‑on disputes over agency independence.