Appeals court reinstates FTC commissioner fired by Trump

A federal appeals court issued a ruling Tuesday restoring Rebecca Slaughter to her post on the Federal Trade Commission, saying President Trump’s move to fire her contradicted existing law.

The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, in a 2-1 decision, said the Supreme Court ruled 90 years ago that FTC members could only be fired for cause.

The majority upheld a lower court ruling that Ms. Slaughter’s ouster was illegal. They also overturned a stay that had been issued by a different panel of the appeals court, which had allowed Mr. Trump to block Ms. Slaughter from regaining her position while the case moved through the courts.

“The government is not likely to succeed on appeal because any ruling in its favor from this court would have to defy binding, on-point, and repeatedly preserved Supreme Court precedent. Bucking such precedent is not within this court’s job description,” said Judges Cornelia Pillard and Patricia Millett, both Obama appointees to the court.