Supreme Court poised to hand Trump admin win in independent firings case

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00:00The Supreme Court looks poised to hand the Trump administration a major win,

00:07one that could give the president far more power to remove top officials from independent agencies,

00:12even for political or policy reasons.

00:15The case centers on Trump's firing of federal trade commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter,

00:21a Democrat, earlier this year.

00:23Under a 1935 federal law, presidents can only remove leaders of independent boards for cause.

00:30Slaughter's ouster was a direct challenge to that rule,

00:33and analysts say it's part of Trump's broader push to exert more control over independent agencies.

00:39Inside the courtroom, the conservative majority appeared ready to back the president,

00:42Justice Brett Kavanaugh noting that these commissioners, quote,

00:46are not elected and exercise massive power over individual liberty and billion-dollar industries.

00:52The impact could be sweeping, potentially ending the independence of more than 20 bipartisan agencies

00:58that oversee everything from monetary policy to consumer safety to broadcast licensing.

01:04But the liberal wing warned of a constitutional earthquake.

01:07Justice Sonia Sotomayor told the Trump administration's lawyer,

01:10you're asking us to destroy the structure of government.

01:14A final decision is expected by June.

01:16Justice Sonia Sotomayor said to the

01:41uprising around this country.