Supreme Court Edition, Trump v. Slaughter, Trump v Cook: Who can POTUS terminate?

In March 2025, President Trump fired FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, telling her in an email that allowing her to remain on the commission would be “inconsistent” with his administration’s priorities. A few months later, he fired Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, alleging that she’d committed mortgage fraud – an allegation that she denies. But can the president fire employees of independent agencies at will? Host Laura Jarrett speaks with Kannon Shanmugam, head of the Supreme Court & Appellate practice at Davis Polk, which won Seila v. CFPB, a landmark constitutional challenge that ultimately invalidated the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Shanmugam breaks down how he convinced the justices that the CFPB violated the separation of powers – and explains why the court might view the FTC and the Federal Reserve differently.May 30, 2026