CNN: John Roberts fought for decades to overturn Humphrey’s Executor
The 6-3 ruling revives a unitary executive theory and gives presidents broader control over independent regulators, including the Federal Trade Commission.
- On Monday, the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling overturning the 1935 Humphrey's Executor precedent, authorizing the president to remove heads of independent agencies without cause while carving out an exception for the Federal Reserve.
- Chief Justice John Roberts led the majority, culminating a 40-year campaign to cement the 'unitary executive theory,' which asserts the Constitution vests absolute oversight of the federal bureaucracy in the president.
- The ruling stems from the administration's challenge to FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, whom President Donald Trump fired in March 2025 after citing her service as 'inconsistent with my Administration's priorities.'
- Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a scathing dissent, warning the court granted the president a power 'unknown even to the English Crown,' while critics fear the ruling facilitates widespread political patronage.
- Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann labeled the decision 'ahistoric,' arguing the ruling extends the expansive presidential immunity established in 2024 and reflects a shift toward a result-oriented judiciary.
15 Articles
15 Articles
For more than 40 years, since his days as a junior lawyer in the Reagan administration, Chief Justice John Roberts has advocated for an exceptionally powerful U.S. presidency, capable of removing the heads of independent agencies…
John Roberts fought for decades to overturn Humphrey’s Executor
For more than 40 years, since his service as a young Reagan administration lawyer, Chief Justice John Roberts has pressed for an exceptionally powerful US president, one who could fire the heads of independent agencies at any time.
John Roberts used one 'chilling' word in new ruling that unnerved ex-prosecutor
Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann fixed on a single word in Chief Justice John Roberts' majority opinion and said it left him deeply unsettled.Reacting on air to Monday's 6-3 ruling in Trump v. Slaughter, which overturned 91 years of precedent and lets the president fire members of independent agencies without cause, Weissmann said the decision extends the theory of expansive presidential power Roberts laid out in the Trump v. United St…
Agency Independence in One Agency: Humphrey’s Executor is Cowering in the Basement of the Eccles Building
Today is the 6th anniversary of Bloomberg Businessweek's profile on me, which forever changed my life. Its so long ago now that many readers may not actually be familiar with it, so I'm linking to it for the first time in many years. To those who have hung around all these years, through the highs and lows, thank you for your support. For those who have never taken out a paid subscription, there has never been a better time.“You Can Tell the Sup…
Trump Can Now Fire Independent Agency Officials at Will
QUICK SUMMARY: The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Monday that presidents can fire heads of independent agencies like the FTC at will, overturning the 1935 Humphrey’s Executor precedent. The decision affects roughly two dozen agencies, including the NLRB and CPSC. A separate 5-4 ruling the same day kept the Federal Reserve’s independence intact for now. The Supreme Court ruled Monday that President Donald Trump can fire independent agency officials at w…
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