Major test of presidential power heads to SCOTUS

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The Daily Docket

A newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw

By Caitlin Tremblay

Good morning. Today the U.S. Supreme Court will take on a major test of presidential power. The court will hear arguments over whether President Trump can fire an FTC commissioner just days after the D.C. Circuit ruled in a similar case that the president could fire members of two federal labor boards. Plus, Kilmar Abrego will urge a judge to dismiss his criminal case in Tennessee and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier is due in Brooklyn federal court to enter a plea. It's Monday. Here are our most unusual photos of 2025 as a treat.

U.S. Supreme Court to weigh Trump's firing of FTC member in test of presidential power

REUTERS/Will Dunham

Today the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether President Trump can fire FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter before her term expires, despite statutory protections. Here's what to know:

The case is seen as a major test of presidential control over agencies designed by Congress to be insulated from White House control.
A ruling for Trump could upend a 90-year precedent and bolster the "unitary executive" theory, giving presidents broad authority to remove agency heads at will.
Critics warn such a shift would erode Congress's safeguards against political interference, threatening regulatory stability relied on by businesses and consumers.
John Kruzel has more about the case here.

Coming up today

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue orders in pending appeals.
President Trump will file his opening brief in Manhattan federal court in his bid to erase his New York state criminal conviction for concealing a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Last month the 2nd Circuit ordered a closer review into whether a July 2024 U.S. Supreme Court decision giving Trump broad immunity from prosecution affected the New York case.
A hearing is scheduled before U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw in Nashville over Kilmar Abrego's bid to dismiss his criminal case in Tennessee for alleged vindictive prosecution.
The 9th Circuit will hear Ford's appeal of an order certifying a class in a lawsuit accusing the company of hiding faults in the suspension of F-250s and F-350s produced from 2005 to 2019. Read the lower court order.
U.S. District Judge William Young in Boston will hold a hearing after ruling in September that a group of climate change skeptics the Trump administration convened behind closed doors to prepare a report that became a linchpin for its efforts to roll back rules on greenhouse gas emissions is not exempt from a law mandating that committees that advise agencies be transparent. Read that ruling here.
U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy in Rhode Island will hold a hearing in a lawsuit by a group of Democratic-led states seeking to block the Trump administration from placing new restrictions on more than $3 billion in grant funding used to provide permanent housing and other services to unhoused people.
Terry Rozier, a guard with the NBA's Miami Heat, is due in Brooklyn federal court to enter a plea in a criminal case alleging he shared non-public information with sports bettors ahead of games, allowing them to reap illicit profits.

Court calendars are subject to last-minute docket changes.

More top news

Industry insight

Three federal judges who rescinded their decisions to retire from active service on the bench after President Trump was elected, thus depriving him of vacancies he could fill, did not violate judicial ethics rules, Chief U.S. Circuit Judge Debra Ann Livingston ruled. Read the opinions.
Moves: Former chief of the civil defense unit at the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of California, Victoria Boesch moved to Jackson Lewis' trials and appeals group … Workplace health and safety partner Jason Mills returned to Morgan Lewis from Sidley.

A little reminder, if you're enjoying the stories featured in this newsletter, don't forget that a Reuters subscription gives you unlimited access to all stories for $1 a week. Plus, no surprise price increases and you can cancel anytime. Sign up here.

$72 billion

That's how much Netflix agreed to pay to buy Warner Bros Discovery's TV, film studios and streaming service division. The agreement, announced Friday, is likely to face strong antitrust scrutiny in Europe and the U.S. as it would give the world's biggest streaming service ownership of a rival that is home to HBO Max and boasts nearly 130 million streaming subscribers.

In the courts

The U.S. Supreme Court will decide the legality of President Trump's directive to restrict birthright citizenship, a contentious part of his efforts to curb immigration and a step that would alter how a 19th century constitutional provision has long been understood.
The D.C. Circuit said President Trump had the power to fire Democratic members of two federal labor boards, a major victory in the Republican president's bid to rein in agencies meant to be independent from the White House. Read the order.
U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith in Florida cleared the DOJ to release grand jury transcripts from its sex trafficking case against Jeffrey Epstein, which could shed light on the deceased financier's ties to rich and powerful people including President Trump.
The New York Times sued Perplexity AI, claiming that the AI startup was copying, distributing and displaying millions of its articles without permission. Read the complaint.
Elon Musk's X sued one of its former senior engineers in San Francisco federal court for allegedly stealing proprietary source code to launch a competing business. Read the complaint.

Attorney Analysis

Baker Donelson's Peter Bosman, Tricia McNeill and Zachary Ishee examine unitranche debt structures and offer practical insights for borrowers and lenders. Read today's Attorney Analysis.

Additional writing by Shruthi Krishnamurthy and Namrata Arora.

Contact

Caitlin Tremblay

caitlin.tremblay@thomsonreuters.com

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