The Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision on June 29, 2026 allowing President Trump to fire leaders of independent federal agencies, overturning a 91-year-old precedent. This dramatically expands presidential power over many agencies like the FTC and NLRB that were designed as checks on executive authority. However, the ruling doesn't automatically apply to all independent agencies—the Court specifically treated some agencies differently, notably the Federal Reserve, which retained separate protections. The ruling stemmed from Trump's March 2025 firing of FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter; the court's conservative majority sided with Trump while the liberal wing dissented. Congressional Democrats are expected to explore legislative responses to restore independence protections, though the GOP-controlled Senate makes passage unlikely before 2027.