Court rules Trump broke US law when he fired Democratic FTC commissioner

The Supreme Court has ruled that former President Donald Trump violated US law when he fired a Democratic commissioner from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This decision upholds the precedent that FTC commissioners are protected from being removed by the president for political reasons. The case centered around Trump's dismissal of Rohit Chopra, an Obama-appointed FTC commissioner, in 2017. The court found that this action was unlawful, as FTC commissioners are intended to have a degree of independence from the executive branch. The ruling is seen as a victory for the independence of federal agencies, as it limits the president's ability to remove officials based on their political affiliation. However, the court noted that this protection may only be "for the time being," suggesting that the broader issue of the president's removal power may be revisited in the future. Overall, the decision upholds the principle of maintaining the FTC's nonpartisan nature, which is crucial for its effective oversight of the marketplace.