The Supreme Court ruled in favor of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, allowing him to proceed with the firing of three Democratic members of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The decision came after the three members were initially fired and then reinstated, sparking a legal battle over Trump’s authority to control independent agencies.
In a 6-3 vote on the emergency order, the majority of the Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the decision.
The Trump administration had requested the Supreme Court to stay a lower court judge’s ruling in Maryland that favored the three ousted CPSC board members – Mary Boyle, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, and Richard Trumka Jr. The Biden-appointed judge had deemed their firings unlawful and ordered their reinstatement.
After the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals declined to grant the Trump administration’s request, the case was brought before the Supreme Court. The emergency filing by U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer highlighted the similarities with a previous case involving the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).
The CPSC board members argued that their removal would disrupt the agency’s work on consumer protection and safety. They also pointed out the Trump administration’s delayed attempt to oust them, which they claimed showed no urgency or irreparable harm.
The case is part of a series of legal battles over Trump’s authority to remove members of independent boards, with the Supreme Court referencing the 90-year-old Humphrey’s Executor decision in its ruling. This decision established that presidents cannot fire independent board members without cause.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox emphasized the importance of maintaining the status quo and protecting the CPSC board’s tenure design. The ruling aims to prevent any disruption caused by reinstating the members multiple times, as seen in previous cases involving the NLRB and MSPB.
Breanne Deppisch, a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital, covers the Trump administration, focusing on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.
