President Donald Trump’s bold move to oust two Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioners has ignited a fierce legal showdown.
Democrat Commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya are suing the administration.
They are alleging that Trump lacks the authority to remove them from their posts, Newsweek reported.
The lawsuit, filed by Slaughter and Bedoya, challenges Trump’s attempt to fire them from the FTC, an agency tasked with consumer protection and antitrust enforcement.
On Friday, a group of Democrat state attorneys general filed an amicus brief supporting the commissioners.
The prosecutors are from states including California, New York, and Illinois.
The brief, addressed to U.S. District Court Judge Loren L. AliKhan, argues that Trump’s actions overstep his legal bounds.
The FTC operates with five commissioners, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, serving seven-year terms.
No more than three commissioners can belong to the same political party, ensuring a bipartisan balance.
The president designates one as chair, but the law restricts removals to cases of “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.”
The amicus brief contends that Trump’s attempt to remove Slaughter and Bedoya lacks justification under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
It warns that allowing such