Federal Judge Sides With Fired FTC Official, Calls Trump Admin’s Move Illegal

A federal judge in Washington, D.C. just handed the Trump administration a legal loss, ruling that the firing of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) member Rebecca Slaughter earlier this year was flat-out against the law.

Slaughter, a Democrat who joined the independent regulatory agency in 2021, was removed from her post in March alongside fellow commissioner Alvaro Bedoya. The two made up the Democratic minority on the five-member FTC board — until, suddenly, they didn’t.

Both Slaughter and Bedoya spoke out immediately after being axed, calling the firings politically motivated and promising to sue. Slaughter followed through, and now she’s come out on top.

In Thursday’s ruling, U.S. District Judge Loren Alikhan didn’t mince words. She noted that when Congress created the FTC more than a century ago, it was meant to operate as an independent body — shielded from partisan shake-ups.

To protect that independence, the law says FTC commissioners can only be fired for “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office” — and none of those reasons were cited in Slaughter’s case.

“Because the law on the removal of FTC Commissioners is clear,” Judge Alikhan wrote, “the court will grant Ms. Slaughter’s motion for summary judgment and deny Defendants’ cross-motion.”

In short: Slaughter was fired without cause, and that’s not allowed.

Bedoya, who had been nominated by President Biden in 2022, also filed a lawsuit after his dismissal. His case was tossed without prejudice, which means he could potentially try again.

Meanwhile, the Trump White House is still facing at least one more legal challenge over agency removals — this time involving three officials from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. That case is awaiting action from the U.S. Supreme Court.

With input from Fox News