BREAKING: Supreme Court Issues Major Decision In Trump Case

Chief Justice John Roberts handed President Trump a procedural victory Monday, granting him the green light — at least for now — to remove a Democrat-aligned commissioner from the Federal Trade Commission.

Roberts approved interim relief while the Supreme Court weighs the administration’s bid to fully overturn a lower court ruling that had reinstated Rebecca Kelly Slaughter to her post.

Slaughter, a longtime Democratic appointee, sued the administration in March after receiving an email from the White House Office of Presidential Personnel stating she had been removed. The message included a note from Trump himself, informing her she was out.

Trump first appointed Slaughter to the FTC in 2018, and President Joe Biden later reappointed her. Her term was supposed to last until 2029.

Slaughter argued her removal violated the Federal Trade Commission Act, which limits presidential power to oust commissioners except in cases of inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance.

A federal district court in Washington sided with her in July, calling Trump’s decision “unlawful” and “without legal effect.” The ruling effectively restored her seat at the powerful agency.

The administration quickly appealed, but the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals declined last week to freeze the district court’s decision while the case moved forward.

That left Trump’s team no choice but to seek emergency relief from the nation’s highest court. Roberts’ move gives them breathing room and temporarily sidelines Slaughter while the justices deliberate, CBS reports.

The case is part of a broader clash over whether Trump can fire officials at so-called independent agencies, many of which have historically operated with protection from political pressure.

The Supreme Court has already allowed Trump to remove members of the National Labor Relations Board, the Merit Systems Protection Board, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission while related legal battles are ongoing.

For Trump, the removals are about reasserting presidential authority over a sprawling federal bureaucracy he has long criticized as unaccountable.

Slaughter remains one of the highest-profile officials caught in the crossfire — and the Supreme Court’s eventual decision could reshape the balance of power between presidents and independent agencies for years to come.