U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan said the Trump administration wanted the Federal Trade Commission to be a «subservient agency.»
President Donald Trump suffered a legal blow on Thursday when a federal judge ruled that his move to fire Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter, a Democrat, was illegal.
The Trump administration has appealed the ruling. Newsweek contacted the FTC for comment on Friday by email outside regular office hours.Why It Matters
In March, Trump fired Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya, the two Democratic members of the FTC, in a move Democratic lawmakers argued undermined the body’s independence.
While Friday’s ruling reduces Trump’s influence over the FTC, the case will likely now progress to a higher court, where the decision could be overturned.What To Know
In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan said Trump’s move to fire Slaughter was «unlawful and without legal effect» as it did not comply with federal legal protections.
She said the Trump administration wanted the FTC to be «a subservient agency subject to the whims of the President and wholly lacking in autonomy.» The judge added, «That is not how Congress structured it.
