The Supreme Court delivered a major win to President Trump on Monday, ruling that he can fire leaders of independent federal agencies without cause, a decision that overturns nearly a century of legal restraint on executive power.
The decision scraps protections established in 1935 designed to shield agencies from political pressure and corruption. Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a sharp dissent, calling the ruling "egregiously wrong" and warning that "chaos will follow."
Rachel Rossi, president of the Alliance for Justice, a progressive judicial advocacy group, condemned the decision as a gift to an already emboldened presidency. "Our authoritarian president was just handed the keys to be even more authoritarian, and the long-term consequences will no doubt be disastrous," she said.
The ruling came as Trump has already used his expanded authority during his second term, successfully removing the heads of several agencies. Among them was Gwynne Wilcox, the first Black woman to serve on the National Labour Relations Board.
However, the court blocked Trump's attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, ruling 5-4 that the dismissal was unconstitutional. Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the Fed's board, has been the target of Trump's unsubstantiated allegations of mortgage fraud.
The same day brought other setbacks for Trump's legal agenda. The Supreme Court rejected his bid to alter rules governing late-arriving mail-in ballots, which he has claimed are vulnerable to fraud. Most states that count ballots arriving after election day lean Democratic.
The court also refused to reconsider a 2023 New York jury verdict finding Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.
Pending before the justices are several other Trump-backed initiatives. The court is expected to rule this week on his executive order to eliminate birthright citizenship, which Trump revoked on his first day in office despite its basis in the 14th Amendment. Also on the docket are a Republican challenge to campaign finance restrictions and a fight over state rules banning transgender athletes from competing in school and college sports.
In personnel news, Trump announced his intention to nominate Keith Sonderling as secretary of labor. Sonderling has been serving as acting secretary since Lori Chavez-DeRemer's departure in April. In his interim role, Sonderling has taken an aggressive stance, threatening to withhold administrative funds from states as a first-time measure against what he calls "blatant waste, fraud, and abuse."
The military, meanwhile, is racing to vaccinate new recruits following a two-month halt in mandatory flu shots. The reprieve is temporary, as existing doses will expire soon and replacement supplies won't arrive for months.
Author James Rodriguez: "The court just handed Trump a loaded gun aimed at the administrative state, and the question isn't whether he'll use it but how far he'll go."
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