In March, President Donald Trump moved to dismiss Democratic Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter.

While a lower court issued an order which reinstated Slaughter, the Supreme Court has cleared Trump to go ahead with her firing. 

Case could lead to 1935 precedent being overturned

According to Breitbart, that ruling came in the form of a short order from Chief Justice John Roberts which was released on Monday.

Breitbart also noted how Robert's order did not address the merits of Slaughter's claim, but it did imply that America's highest judicial body is likely to rule against her.

What's more, the website explained that Slaughter's case could well lead to the overturning of a 1935 case known as Humphrey's Executor v. United States.

That decision tightly limited a president's ability to remove officials from independent agencies such as the FTC, whose enabling legislation provides that commissioners may only be removed for "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office."

Slaughter linked her firing to the Federal Reserve

Slaughter has been highly critical of the president, and suggested during a March appearance on CNBC that her removal could serve as a prelude to Trump taking over the Federal Reserve.

"If I can be fired, I don't know why Jerome Powell can't be fired."@RKSlaughterFTC says Trump's illegal attempted firing of her and fellow Dem FTC Commissioner @BedoyaFTC isn't "just about the FTC, it's about all the structures of government that protect market stability."👇📺 pic.twitter.com/HCZ8KntEsu

— American Economic Liberties Project (@econliberties) March 19, 2025

"It's not just about the FTC. It's about all of the structures of government that protect market stability," Slaughter declared. "If I can be fired, I don't know why Jerome Powell can't be fired."

For his part, Bedoya reiterated that point in a social media post, writing, "Commissioner Slaughter says what people haven’t realized yet."

"If she and I can be fired for no reason, the head of the Federal Reserve can be fired for no reason. You can like that or not like that, but this is where we’re headed if the president succeeds in firing us," Bedoya insisted.

FTC chairman supported firing of Slaughter and Bedoya

Meanwhile, FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson issued a statement in March which supported the termination of Slaughter and Bedoya.

"President Donald J. Trump is the head of the executive branch and is vested with all of the executive power in our government," Ferguson said.

"The Federal Trade Commission will continue its tireless work to protect consumers, lower prices, and police anticompetitive behavior," he pledged.