Supreme Court Ruling Threatens Independence of US Agencies
The Supreme Court's emergency order allowing President Trump to fire FTC commissioner Rebecca Slaughter signals a potential overturn of a nearly century-old precedent. This could allow presidents to dismiss members of independent agencies at will, undermining their independence and bipartisan nature. The conservative justices' support for the 'unitary executive' theory, granting the president absolute control over the executive branch, underpins this decision. Liberal justices strongly dissent, arguing this violates the separation of powers and shifts governmental authority from Congress to the President. Future agency compositions will hinge entirely on the president's will, potentially leading to increased political polarization. The only potential exception might be the Federal Reserve, though its future remains uncertain.