Judge rules Trump firing of Democratic FTC commissioner was illegal

• Conservatives have long been trying to tee up a case that would weaken a precedent that has protected independent agency commissioners.
• Trump fired Slaughter and fellow Democratic commissioner Alvaro Bedoya in March. They both sued the administration shortly after, and Bedoya resigned from the FTC in June.

What they're saying: Judge Loren L. Alikhan wrote that the "attempt to remove Ms. Slaughter from her position as an FTC Commissioner did not comply with the FTC Act's removal protections."

• "Because those protections remain constitutional, as they have for almost a century, Ms. Slaughter's purported removal was unlawful and without legal effect."
• "As the Court recognized today, the law is clear, and I look forward to getting back to work," Slaughter said in a statement. "The for-cause removal protections that apply to my colleagues and me at the FTC also protect other independent economic regulators like the SEC, the FDIC, and the Federal Reserve."

The other side: "The Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld the President's constitutional authority to fire and remove executive officers who exercise his authority," said White House spokesman Kush Desai.

• "The Trump Administration will appeal this unlawful decision and looks forward to victory on this issue."