US Supreme Court Expands Trump’s Power to Fire Federal Officials but Blocks Fed Dismissal Attempt

The US Supreme Court issued several key rulings on Monday affecting President Donald Trump’s efforts to increase his control over the federal government, election laws, and independent regulators. The Court delivered a mixed outcome for Trump: it granted him a major victory by ruling he can remove senior officials from independent federal agencies, but it also blocked his attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.

In a 6-3 decision, the Court upheld Trump’s dismissal of Rebecca Slaughter, a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), overturning a 1935 precedent that protected independent agency heads from arbitrary presidential removal. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that such protections interfere with the separation of powers since these agencies execute significant economic regulations, which fall under the executive branch’s authority. This ruling potentially affects over a dozen other independent agencies where Trump has sought to remove officials.

However, in a 5-4 ruling, the Court rejected Trump’s effort to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook, preventing him from becoming the first president since 1913 to fire a senior Federal Reserve official. The majority, including Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, found Trump failed to provide Cook with due process and emphasized the Fed’s independence, noting governors serve staggered 14-year terms and can only be removed for cause. Cook, the first Black woman on the Fed board, denied mortgage fraud allegations Trump cited and said the firing attempt was politically motivated.

The Court also ruled 5-4 to uphold state laws allowing late-arriving mail-in ballots to be counted if postmarked by Election Day, striking down a lower court ruling against Mississippi’s law. This decision dealt a blow to Trump, who has opposed mail-in voting amid fraud claims. The Court requested the Trump administration’s position on a related Pennsylvania case involving ballot date requirements and agreed to review a Republican challenge to Arizona’s voting restrictions.

Additionally, the Court sent back a case concerning police subpoenas for tech companies’ user location data, ruling such data collection constitutes a search but leaving the legality of the specific case unresolved. The Court’s current term continues with pending decisions on Trump’s birthright citizenship challenge, campaign finance limits, and transgender athletes in women’s sports.

Summary: The US Supreme Court expanded President Trump’s authority to remove officials from independent agencies but blocked his attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, preserving the Fed’s independence. The Court also upheld late mail-in ballot counting laws and signaled further election-related rulings ahead.

Points: - Supreme Court allows Trump to fire independent agency officials, overturning 1935 precedent. - Court blocks Trump’s attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, citing due process. - Ruling preserves Federal Reserve independence, limiting presidential control over monetary policy. - Court upholds state laws permitting counting of late-arriving mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day. - Justices request Trump administration’s input on Pennsylvania mail-in ballot dispute. - Court sends tech data subpoena case back for further review, recognizing location data as a search.

Topic: politics

Entities: {"people":["Donald Trump","Lisa Cook","Rebecca Slaughter","John Roberts","Brett Kavanaugh"],"organizations":["US Supreme Court","Federal Trade Commission","Federal Reserve","Trump administration"],"places":["United States","Mississippi","Pennsylvania","Arizona"]}