United States of America - June 2026

In separate rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that President Trump’s firing of former Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter was within his executive power, but blocked the firing of Lisa Cook, a governor of the Federal Reserve. In the Slaughter case, the Court reasoned that protections preventing Federal Trade Commission members’ removal without a cause were contrary to the separation of powers enshrined in the constitution. It further determined that “those who fall within the President’s ‘general administrative control’ must be removable by the President at will.” In doing so the Court expanded presidential power over independent regulators, and appeared to endorse the unitary executive theory, which holds that the U.S. president has sole and final authority over the executive branch. However, in a separate ruling the Court exempted Federal Reserve member Lisa Cook from this broad executive authority, asserting the political independence of the country’s central bank. 

Sources: Supreme Court of the United States (1), Supreme Court of the United States (2), NY Times