Updated December 8, 2025 at 12:58 PM EST

Supreme Court justices seemed open Monday to overruling a 90-year precedent that's prevented presidents from removing members of independent agencies at will in a case that could reshape the balance of power within the federal government.

At issue is whether President Trump can fire Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, whom Trump appointed in 2018, during his first term, to fill a Democratic seat on the Federal Trade Commission. President Biden appointed Slaughter to a second term, which was supposed to end in 2029.

Instead, in March, Slaughter received an email from the White House Office of Presidential Personnel informing her that she was being removed from office, effective immediately. She was told her "continued service on the FTC is inconsistent with

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