The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal that sought to give the president control over agencies that have long operated independently, potentially including the Federal Trade Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission.
The appeal, pressed by two research organizations in a case involving the Consumer Product Safety Commission, contended that the Constitution gives the president broad power to fire the leaders of executive-branch agencies. It called into question a 1935 Supreme Court precedent that has become a top target for anti-regulatory groups.
The court, as is its custom when turning away an appeal, made no comment, and no justice publicly dissented.
The ruling, known as Humphrey's Executor v. United States, upheld job protections for FTC commissioners and paved the way for the independent agencies that now proliferate across the US government.
The appeal was pressed by Consumers' Research and By Two LP, whose lawyers include Don McGahn, the White House counsel under former President Donald Trump.
Supreme Court's Zeal to Curb Agency Power Looms in New Term
