Supreme Court Backs Trump, Lets Agency Firings Stand During Legal Fight

In a major win for executive authority, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled 6–3 in favor of President Trump, allowing his administration to move forward with the dismissal of two independent agency officials while litigation continues in lower courts.

The decision clears the way for the removal of Gwynne Wilcox of the National Labor Relations Board and Cathy Harris of the Merit Systems Protection Board—both appointees from the Biden era. Lower court rulings had temporarily reinstated them, but the Supreme Court’s order suspends those decisions, reinforcing Trump’s power to fire officials even from traditionally independent agencies.

While the Court’s ruling does not settle the underlying legal question of whether presidents can remove these officials without cause, it sends a strong signal that the justices are open to reexamining long-standing limits on executive authority. Legal observers say the ruling could set the stage for a landmark showdown over the constitutionality of agency independence.

In a notable carve-out, the Court made clear that the Federal Reserve is exempt from this action. Justices cited the central bank’s unique, quasi-private structure as justification for shielding it from similar dismissals, a move aimed at maintaining financial market stability.

The three liberal justices—Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—dissented, warning that the ruling undermines decades of precedent protecting the independence of regulatory agencies. Justice Kagan criticized the decision as a “radical shift” that disregards Congress’s intent to insulate certain agencies from direct political control.

The case now heads back to the lower courts for full litigation, but the Supreme Court’s decision to let the firings stand during that process is a clear sign of support for a broader interpretation of presidential authority.

If the Trump administration ultimately prevails, the ruling could have sweeping implications for agencies like the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and even the Federal Reserve—reshaping the balance of power between the executive branch and the bureaucracy.