US appeals court reinstates FTC commissioner fired by Trump

Win for Rebecca Slaughter as court rules commissioners may not be dismissed by a president without cause

A divided US appeals court on Tuesday allowed the US federal trade commissioner, Rebecca Slaughter, a Democrat, to resume her role at the agency, as Donald Trump tries to remove her from office.

In a 2-1 decision, the District of Columbia circuit court of appeals allowed a lower court decision in favor of Slaughter to take effect, rejecting the Trump administration’s request to delay the ruling during its appeal.

The court said that FTC commissioners may not be fired by a president without cause, saying that the law on this point had been clear for nearly a century.