SCOTUS rules president can fire federal agency officials

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday in Trump v. Slaughter that the president can fire federal agency officials at will. Upholding the president’s ability to remove federal agency board members likely means the end of the challenge from dismissed NCUA board members Todd Harper and Tanya Otsuka, meaning they will remain off the board

"The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision provides clarity on the president’s power regarding political appointees on independent agency boards and commissions," said America’s Credit Unions President/CEO Scott Simpson. "While this ruling will impact the separate legal challenge regarding NCUA board member removals, America’s Credit Unions has consistently advocated for a full, three-person board to ensure stability and effective oversight for the industry. We urge the President to put forward nominees for the two vacant seats and will continue to keep credit unions informed as this ruling is applied to the NCUA Board."

President Donald Trump dismissed Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter in March 2025, and she filed a lawsuit stating this action was illegal. Monday's ruling overturns the 1935 Humphrey’s Executor case that established limits on presidential removal authority, finding laws restricting the president's ability to remove agency heads at-will violate the separation of powers.

Harper and Otsuka were dismissed by President Donald Trump in April 2025 and subsequently sued the administration to be reinstated using Humphrey’s Executor as precedent. The Supreme Court previously denied Harper and Otsuka’s petition for review alongside Slaughter, and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals suspended the challenge pending the Supreme Court’s review of Slaughter.

In addition, the Supreme Court also issued its decision in Trump v. Cook, where the court denied the administration's application to stay the lower court's decision to keep Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook on the board while the lower court hears the merits of the case.