Overview
- The Supreme Court declined on June 29 to hear President Trump’s appeal of the E. Jean Carroll civil verdict, leaving in place a $5 million judgment for sexual assault and defamation from a 2023 Manhattan trial.
- In a separate decision the Court barred the president from removing Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook at will, ruling she must be allowed to contest alleged grounds for dismissal.
- By overturning long‑standing limits on removal for many independent agencies, the Court cleared the way for the ouster of officials like FTC commissioner Rebecca Slaughter and expanded presidential control over agency personnel.
- The justices also rejected a challenge to state mail‑in ballot rules, upholding laws that permit counting ballots received after Election Day if they bear a timely postmark.
- Legal fallout will continue: media reports say DOJ prosecutors have opened a probe into Carroll’s sworn statements about outside funding, a separate $83.3 million defamation judgment remains disputed, and the removal ruling signals wider shifts in how Congress and courts may protect agency independence.