Supreme Court Rules President Can Fire Federal Agency Officials

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today in Trump v. Slaughter that the president has the authority to remove federal agency officials at will. The decision upholding the president's ability to dismiss federal agency board members likely ends the legal challenge brought by former NCUA board members Todd Harper and Tanya Otsuka, meaning they will remain off the board.

In a statement, America's Credit Unions President and CEO Scott Simpson said the ruling clarifies the president's authority over independent agency appointees and will affect the separate legal challenge regarding the NCUA board removal case. He went on to say that Americas Credit Unions continues to support a full three-member NCUA board, and urges the president to nominate candidates for the two vacant seats.

President Donald Trump dismissed Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter in March 2025. Slaughter subsequently filed a lawsuit arguing that her removal was unlawful. The Supreme Court's ruling overturns the 1935 Humphrey's Executor decision, which had established limits on presidential removal authority. The Court found that laws restricting the president's ability to remove agency heads at will violate the separation of powers.

Harper and Otsuka were dismissed by President Donald Trump in April 2025 and later sued the administration seeking reinstatement, citing Humphrey's Executor as precedent. The Supreme Court previously denied Harper and Otsuka's petition for review alongside Slaughter, and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals suspended their challenge pending the Supreme Court's review of Slaughter.

The Supreme Court also issued its decision in Trump v. Cook, denying the administration's application to stay a lower court decision keeping Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook on the board while the lower court considers the merits of the case.