Supreme Court rejects Trump in three cases while expanding firing power
The justices ruled against Trump on the Fed, mail ballots and E Jean Carroll, while backing broader presidential power over regulators.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
4 min read
The Supreme Court delivered President Donald Trump three defeats and one major win on Monday in a set of rulings touching the Federal Reserve, elections, a civil sexual abuse case and presidential control over regulators. The decisions shape how far Trump can press executive power while also preserving limits in politically sensitive areas, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters.
In the case Trump won, the court ruled 6-3 that he could remove Rebecca Slaughter, a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission, without giving a cause. Al Jazeera reported that the ruling overturned a 1935 precedent that had allowed Congress to shield some independent agency leaders from dismissal at will by the president.
Trump had fired Slaughter last year, and lower courts had sided with her argument that the dismissal violated protections Congress created for independent regulators, according to Al Jazeera. Trump praised the ruling on social media, calling it a historic decision on presidential power.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, saying the majority had disturbed the separation of powers and warning that “chaos will follow,” according to the report. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren also criticized the decision, accusing Trump of taking control of independent agencies for political purposes.
Fed independence preserved, for now
The court ruled against Trump in a separate dispute over Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. In a 5-4 decision, the justices blocked Trump from removing Cook at this stage, according to Al Jazeera.
Trump had cited unproven mortgage fraud allegations against Cook, which she denies. Cook said the allegations were a pretext because she and Trump differed on monetary policy as he pushed the Fed to lower interest rates, according to the report.
The court said the case turned on a narrower issue: Trump had not given Cook the procedural protections required by law. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that both the reality and public appearance of Federal Reserve independence are central to the central bank’s structure, according to Al Jazeera.
Cook welcomed the ruling as support for the Fed’s independence. Trump said on social media that his administration would take action to ensure that someone he accused of wrongdoing would not make decisions affecting the country’s welfare, though Al Jazeera reported that his next step was unclear.
Mail ballot deadline upheld
The court also upheld a Mississippi law allowing absentee ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and arrive within five business days. The 5-4 decision rejected a challenge from the Republican National Committee, according to Al Jazeera.
The ruling reversed a lower court decision that had found Mississippi’s rule conflicted with federal laws setting the date of federal elections. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote for the majority that federal law governs when ballots must be cast, while state law controls when they must be received, according to Al Jazeera.
Trump, who has repeatedly claimed without evidence that mail voting is vulnerable to fraud, called the ruling a “tremendous loss” for voters’ rights on Truth Social, according to the report. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer welcomed the decision, saying ballots cast on time should be counted.
Carroll verdict left in place
In another defeat for Trump, the court declined to disturb a $5m civil judgment in favor of writer E Jean Carroll. A federal jury in Manhattan found in 2023 that Trump sexually abused Carroll in a New York department store in 1996 and defamed her, according to Al Jazeera.
Trump denied Carroll’s allegations and criticized the Supreme Court’s refusal to review the case on social media. Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said the decision ended Trump’s attempt to avoid the jury’s verdict, according to the report.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue more opinions before its summer recess, including decisions on Trump’s order targeting birthright citizenship, state bans on transgender girls in school sports, and limits on coordinated spending between candidates and political parties, according to Al Jazeera.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.