The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday to allow President Trump to remove Rebecca Slaughter, a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), temporarily overriding a lower court order that protected her from dismissal.

Slaughter had sued to block her firing, arguing that federal law protects FTC commissioners from removal except for cause, such as inefficiency, neglect, or malfeasance, not for policy disagreements.

The big picture: The Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority issued the order, with the three liberal justices dissenting, emphasizing concerns over undermining agency independence. • Chief Justice John Roberts had previously paused an injunction protecting Slaughter on September 8 to allow for more time to consider the administration’s request.

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