The Court issued a temporary stay of Slaughter’s reinstatement without addressing the merits of the pending appeal challenging the president’s authority to fire the commissioner. Yesterday’s decision again puts SCOTUS at odds with the lower courts, which have shown a strong deference to Humphrey’s Executor. In the present case, Slaughter argues that Humphrey’s Executor settled specifically whether a U.S. president could fire FTC commissioners without cause. But, as in other recent cases involving Trump’s at-will firings at independent federal agencies – including the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and the U.S. Both the U.S. District Court and Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia found in Cook’s favor.