US appeals court temporarily blocks order reinstating FTC commissioner Slaughter
The Justice Department, in a filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, had argued the district court judge's reinstatement of Slaughter runs afoul of the president's executive powers under the U.S. Constitution.
The three-judge panel of the court said the lower-court ruling would remain on hold until court papers are filed by July 29.
The court said the order was to give the judges sufficient time to consider the request of President Donald Trump's administration request to block the ruling and should not be "construed in any way as a ruling on the merits."
The Justice Department is challenging a July 17 order by U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan in Washington that said the White House violated federal law in removing Slaughter, who was first appointed by Trump and reappointed by Democratic former President Joe Biden.
The case in the appeals court will mark the latest clash over the Republican Trump administration's efforts to fire some Democratic officials at federal agencies.
The U.S. Supreme Court in May ruled that Trump could bar two Democratic members of federal labor boards from their posts while they challenge the legality of his dismissal of them.
The White House, FTC and lawyers for Slaughter did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.
Slaughter and another ousted Democratic FTC commissioner, Alvaro Bedoya, sued the Trump administration in March over their removal. They said Trump violated a law that allows a president to fire an FTC member only for good cause, including neglect of duties.
Bedoya has since formally resigned from the agency.
In her ruling last week, AliKhan said the Trump administration's attempt to remove Slaughter did not comply with removal protections in federal law.
AliKhan, who was appointed by Biden, said the Trump administration wants 'the FTC to be something it is not: a subservient agency subject to the whims of the President and wholly lacking in autonomy. But that is not how Congress structured it.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
House panel votes to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell over Epstein files
The House Oversight Committee approved a subpoena for Ghislaine Maxwell, the onetime girlfriend of pedophile and alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, by voice vote on Tuesday. Lawmakers voted to compel Maxwell's testimony before the committee as the issue of whether a so-called 'client list' of Epstein's co-conspirators exists continues to consume Washington and much of American political discourse across X, Truth Social and other social platforms. In the House of Representatives, the investigation provoked a rare moment of unity between some of Donald Trump's closest supporters in the GOP, some of his strongest critics on the left, and even a Republican representative who has become one of the biggest thorns in the president's side. While the committee's vote to compel Maxwell to testify is clearly significant, a bipartisan cohort of lawmakers is threatening to take it a step further by forcing a vote on a resolution directing the Justice Department to release the entirety of its evidence on the Epstein and Maxwell cases.
Reuters
23 minutes ago
- Reuters
US appeals court temporarily blocks order reinstating FTC commissioner
WASHINGTON, July 22 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court late on Monday temporarily blocked a court order that allowed Democratic U.S. Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter to resume her role at the agency, despite the White House's effort to remove her from office. The Justice Department, in a filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, had argued the district court judge's reinstatement of Slaughter runs afoul of the president's executive powers under the U.S. Constitution. The three-judge panel of the court said the lower court ruling would remain on hold until court papers are filed by July 29. Slaughter in a statement, opens new tab on Tuesday said she will "continue to fight my illegal firing and see this case through." "Like dozens of other federal agencies, the Federal Trade Commission has been protected from presidential politics for nearly a century," Slaughter said. The White House said in a statement that the Supreme Court has "repeatedly upheld the President's constitutional authority to fire and remove executive officers" and that the administration "looks forward to victory on this issue." The appeals court said the order was meant to give the judges sufficient time to consider the Trump administration's request to block the ruling and should not be "construed in any way as a ruling on the merits." The Justice Department is challenging a July 17 order by U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan in Washington that said the White House violated federal law in removing Slaughter, who was first appointed by Republican President Donald Trump and reappointed by Democratic former President Joe Biden. The case in the appeals court will mark the latest clash over the Trump administration's efforts to fire some Democratic officials at federal agencies. The U.S. Supreme Court in May ruled that Trump could bar two Democratic members of federal labor boards from their posts while they challenge the legality of his dismissal of them. The FTC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. Slaughter and another ousted Democratic FTC commissioner, Alvaro Bedoya, sued the Trump administration in March over its decision to remove them. They said Trump violated a law that allows a president to fire an FTC member only for good cause, including neglect of duties. Bedoya has since formally resigned from the agency. In her ruling last week, AliKhan said the Trump administration's attempt to oust Slaughter did not comply with removal protections in federal law. AliKhan, who was appointed by Biden, said the Trump administration wants "the FTC to be something it is not: a subservient agency subject to the whims of the President and wholly lacking in autonomy. But that is not how Congress structured it."
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump tears into 'worst Republican' who's trying to force a vote to release ALL Epstein documents
Donald Trump has put out a casting call for someone - perhaps anyone - to primary Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie - the Republican lawmaker working overtime to release the Epstein files. 'Thomas Massie, the worst Republican Congressman, and an almost guaranteed NO VOTE each and every time, is an embarrassment to Kentucky,' Trump wrote late Monday evening on Truth Social. 'He's lazy, slow moving, and totally disingenuous - A real loser! Never has anything positive to add.' It's the president's latest salvo aimed at Massie, a libertarian-minded Republican who regularly bucks Speaker Mike Johnson and leadership to vote however he pleases - much to the chagrin of White House. Trump has vowed to campaign against the congressman as a result of his maverick tendencies, but Elon Musk has similarly promised to support the Kentuckian's re-election in 2026. The showdown between the world's richest and world's most powerful men could ignite political fireworks. Massie is generally liked among his colleagues, and Johnson has repeatedly defended him. Johnson needs to, given his slim GOP majority. Trump has a different approach - one seemingly inspired by 'The Apprentice'. 'Looking for someone good to run against this guy, someone I can endorse and vigorously campaign for!' the president wrote, soliciting a candidate to primary Massie. Trump and Massie's beef has lasted years. In 2019, the congressman opposed Trump's use of an emergency declaration to build a border wall. And in 2020 the president called for Republicans to 'throw Massie out' after the lawmaker opposed COVID relief funding. Massie went on to cruise to victory winning a whopping 81 percent of the GOP primary vote in 2020, 75 percent in 2022 and 76 percent in 2024. The president doubling-down on Massie's ouster comes at the same time the libertarian-minded rabble-rouser is leading Capitol Hill's efforts to declassify the Department of Justice's files on Epstein and his potential associates. The Republican's bill, the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), already has bipartisan support. Even Speaker Johnson wants them released. 'When the Epstein records are turned over to the public, which we must do as quickly as possible,' Speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday. 'Everyone was involved in that,' he later said, adding 'we must protect the innocent.' In an effort to gain more support for his measure Massie is handing out pocket-sized memos detailing exactly what it does. 'The bill directed the attorney general to publicly release all covered documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein and his associates,' the memo said, according to pictures. 'No record may be withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of embarrassment or political sensitivity for U.S. or foreign officials.' The only material in the files that would be withheld are portions relating to abuse or death, personal identifiable information of victims and content that would jeopardize active federal investigations or compromise national security. If the bill secures passage, the DOJ would have 30 days to post the documents online for Americans to see. 'We all deserve to know what's in the Epstein files, who's implicated, and how deep this corruption goes,' Massie said in a statement, who promised to force a vote in the U.S. House. 'If your representative won't sign the discharge petition, ask why.' Trump, meanwhile, has also moved to have Attorney General Pam Bondi unseal files relating to Epstein who, according to authorities, committed suicide in 2019 while awaiting trail on federal child sex trafficking charges. Bondi announced on Tuesday that the DOJ would look to interview Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Massie's measure cannot be blocked by Speaker Mike Johnson and will likely come to the House floor for a vote in September, following the August recess when lawmakers return to their districts and hear from their constituents. It already has enough GOP support to pass with over half a dozen co-sponsors and all Democratic members on board.
