The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on December 8, 2025, regarding the scope of presidential authority to remove officials from independent agencies, a case stemming from President Donald Trump's dismissal of Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter.The arguments challenged a nearly century-old precedent, Humphrey's Executor v. United States (1935), which protects agency heads from removal, with U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer arguing it is an "indefensible outlier" that "must be overruled."Liberal justices expressed concern about potential "massive, uncontrolled and unchecked power" for the president if Trump's administration prevails, while conservative justices appeared receptive to arguments that tenure protections unlawfully infringe upon presidential authority.