Bedoya Resigns From FTC, Seeks to Remain in Lawsuit
Federal judge questions former Federal Trade Commissioner's legal standing following his stated resignation.
WASHINGTON, June 16, 2025 – Alvaro Bedoya, the former Democratic Federal Trade Commissioner that President Donald Trump said he had fired, formally stepped down from his position on June 9, citing personal financial challenges as the cause.
But Bedoya wants to stay in the lawsuit seeking reinstatement of himself and Rebecca Slaughter, the other FTC commissioner allegedly fired by Trump on March 18.
But on Wednesday, June 11, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan raised concerns about whether Bedoya could continue as a plaintiff following his formal resignation from the FTC.
FROM SPEEDING BEAD SUMMIT
Panel 1: How Are States Thinking About Reasonable Costs Now?
Panel 2: Finding the State Versus Federal Balance in BEAD
Panel 3: Reacting to the New BEAD NOFO Guidance
Panel 4: Building, Maintaining and Adopting Digital Workforce Skills
AliKhan ordered those involved in the case to file supplemental briefs “addressing Mr. Bedoya's standing to seek relief in this matter.”
Could not continue to act as commissioner without salary
“For personal reasons, I can no longer afford to go without any source of income for my family,” Bedoya lamented in his statement. “Applicable rules and regulations limit an FTC Commissioner’s ability to accept other employment while serving on the Commission.”
The resignation follows his controversial firing in March. Since then, Bedoya and Slaughter have been engaged in a fierce legal battle to argue that Trump's alleged firings were illegitimate.
Seeks to remain active in the case
“I will stay a plaintiff in our lawsuit against the President,” Bedoya said in the court filing. “And I won't just sit here as our consumer protection and competition agencies are gutted and politicized. We need to be able to fight fraudsters and monopolists regardless of the millions they've given politicians. That's what I want to do as a former commissioner.”
The lawsuit, Slaughter v. Trump, challenges the legality of Bedoya and Slaughter’s removal, arguing it violates the Supreme Court’s 1935 decision in Humphrey’s Executor. In that landmark ruling, the Court unanimously held that Congress may limit the president’s power to remove officials from independent federal agencies.
AliKhan, a Biden appointee, reviewed the Case on May 20, and said that siding with the president would necessarily mean overturning the 90-year precedent set by Humphrey's.
Just days later, the Supreme Court granted an emergency stay allowing Trump to remove members of other independent agencies, the National Labor Relations Board and Merit Systems Protection Board, without cause. The unsigned two-page order made no mention of Humphrey’s Executor and cited the president’s authority under Seila Law, drawing a blistering dissent from Justice Elena Kagan, who accused the Court of “overruling Humphrey’s by fiat.”
Bedoya, who had been a FTC Commissioner since 2022 and was set to serve until September 25, 2026, initially vowed he would not back down, fighting to remain in office.
In an interview immediately following the removal, he told the New York Times, “He’s trying to fire me. I am still an FTC commissioner, and I am going to go to court to make sure that’s clear to everybody.”
However, after months of legal conflict, Bedoya’s resources may have run dry. His departure marks a significant shift in the FTC’s historic makeup of five Commissioners, as only three Republican commissioners remain – Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Commissioner Melissa Holyoak, and Commissioner Mark Meador.
