Matthew Rimmer<p>US competition law compromised.</p><p>Rebecca Kelly Slaughter spoke about the unlawfulness of her firing.<br><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/18/trump-fires-ftc-commissioners" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">theguardian.com/us-news/2025/m</span><span class="invisible">ar/18/trump-fires-ftc-commissioners</span></a> <br>“Today, the President illegally fired me from my position as a Federal Trade Commissioner, violating the plain language of a statute and clear Supreme Court precedent. Why? Because I have a voice, and he is afraid of what I’ll tell the American people,” she said.</p><p>She also expresses her concerns that Trump’s removal of “opposition voices” in the FTC will prevent his administration from being held accountable for its actions.</p><p>“The administration clearly fears the accountability that opposition voices would provide if the president orders Chairman Ferguson to treat the most powerful corporations and their executives – like those that flanked the President at his inauguration – with kid gloves,” the statement continues.</p><p>The US supreme court ruled in 1935 to uphold a law that allows FTC commissioners to be fired only for good cause, such as neglecting their duties. The ruling is meant to shield a number of independent and bipartisan agencies from direct control by the White House. <a href="https://aus.social/tags/FTC" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FTC</span></a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/competition" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>competition</span></a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/antitrust" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>antitrust</span></a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/uslaw" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>uslaw</span></a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/uspol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>uspol</span></a></p>