WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday appeared poised to make it easier for President Donald Trump to fire independent government officials despite laws meant to insulate them from political pressure in what would be a major expansion of presidential power.

Hearing a case dealing with Trump’s attempt to oust a member of the Federal Trade Commission, the court’s conservative majority seemed ready to overturn or strictly limit a landmark decision from 1935. That precedent said Congress could constrain the president’s authority to remove some executive branch officials.

Chief Justice John Roberts, who is almost always in the majority in significant cases, said the FTC that opinion shielded 90 years ago looked nothing like the modern commission. Over time, he said, the commission has come

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