FTC Commissioner Removed for the Second Time
Only three commissioners remain.
WASHINGTON, July 28, 2025 – The legal saga surrounding Democratic FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter continues to unfold.
Slaughter, who was fired by President Donald Trump in March, returned to the Federal Trade Commission on July 17 after a U.S. District Judge ruled she was a “rightful member” of the agency.
Her profile was restored on the FTC leadership webpage, and the following day she posted a photo outside the FTC headquarters, captioned, “Excited to be heading into the office this am!”
However, her return was short-lived.
On July 18, just one business day later, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit blocked her return and ordered her to file a legal brief by July 25 in response to the Trump administration's objections to her reinstatement.
In a statement following the ruling, Slaughter called out the agency.
“I'll continue to fight my illegal firing and see this case through, because part of why Congress created independent agencies is to ensure transparency and accountability,” the statement stated. “They didn't want regulators doing shady, backroom deals without the people finding out, and I'm ready to uncover the ways the FTC is failing consumers and its duty to protect competition.”
Slaughter’s legal team maintained that her firing in March was unlawful. In the brief, they argued that FTC commissioners can only be removed “for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office”- none of which were cited in President Trump’s termination email.
Additionally, the brief cited the 1935 Supreme Court case Humphrey’s Executor v. U.S., which stopped President Roosevelt from dismissing an FTC Commissioner without cause.
As of today, Slaughter’s profile on the FTC webpage lists her once again as a “Former Commissioner.”
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