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Supreme Court expands presidential firing power, overturning 90-year-old ruling

2026-06-29T10:25:00-0400 / CBS News

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Updated on: June 29, 2026 / 11:26 AM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that removal protections for members of the Federal Trade Commission are unconstitutional and overturned a 90-year-old decision that allowed Congress to shield members of certain independent agencies from being fired by the president at will.

The decision from the high court expands the president’s power over certain independent boards and commissions, which Congress had insulated from political pressure by saying their members could only be removed by the president for cause.

In a 1935 decision in a case known as Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, which involved removal protections for the FTC, the Supreme Court said Congress could restrict the president’s ability to fire officials from multi-member agencies at will.

But the ruling from the high court’s conservative majority in the case Trump v. Slaughter overturns that 90-year-old decision and marks the culmination of a years-long weakening of the New Deal-era precedent.

The court’s ruling

The ruling was 6 to 3, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing for the majority, joined by the other conservative justices. The three liberals dissented, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor read a summary of her dissent from the bench, a rare occurrence that signals strong disagreement with a decision. Roberts wrote that limits on the president’s ability to fire those who wield executive power on his behalf infringe on his constitutional authority.

“Although it is up to the Senate to decide whether to confirm those with whom the President would prefer to work, neither Congress nor the courts may saddle him with those with whom he cannot work,” Roberts wrote. “Subordinates who exercise the President’s power are subject to removal by him. Then, and only then, can they remain accountable to the President, and the President to the people.”

The decision is likely to have ramifications beyond the FTC. Congress has created more than two dozen multi-member agencies led by officials who can be removed by the president only for cause, which typically means instances of inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.

In a dissenting opinion joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sotomayor warned that while those agencies remain, they now take on a new form that differs from what Congress intended when they were created.

“Put simply, today the majority reshapes our Government. Dozens of independent commissions are now likely to become purely executive agencies, shifting tremendous power over broad swaths of American life into the President’s hands,” she wrote.

The Slaughter case

President Trump has sought to test the bounds of his executive power since returning to the White House for his second term in January 2025, including by firing a slew of officials appointed by Democratic presidents at multi-member boards and commissions without cause.

Among those was Rebecca Slaughter, whom Mr. Trump appointed to the FTC during his first term. She was reappointed to the trade commission by President Joe Biden.

Slaughter was informed in March 2025 that her service on the FTC was “inconsistent” with the Trump administration’s priorities and was fired from her post without cause. That clashed with the law that established the FTC in 1914, when Congress said commissioners could only be removed for inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.

Slaughter filed a lawsuit challenging her removal and argued Mr. Trump broke the law when he fired her. A federal district court ruled in her favor and ordered Slaughter to be reinstated to her post. The U.S. appeals court in Washington, D.C., eventually agreed that she could continue in her job at the trade commission, but last September, the Supreme Court allowed Mr. Trump to fire her while it considered the legality of removal protections for FTC members.

Before agreeing to decide Slaughter’s case, the Supreme Court had also cleared the way for Mr. Trump to oust members of the National Labor Relations Board, Merit Systems Protection Board and Consumer Product Safety Commission. But the high court has so far spared two other officials from removal while litigation continues: Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, and Shira Perlmutter, the register of copyrights.

The justices heard arguments in January over whether to allow Mr. Trump to fire Cook from the Fed Board. The Supreme Court has indicated before that it views the Fed differently than other independent agencies, calling it a “uniquely structured, quasi-private entity that follows in the distinct historical tradition of the First and Second Banks.”

In an opinion also authored by Roberts, the high court rejected Mr. Trump’s attempt to fire Cook while the challenge to her removal moved forward.

The high court’s decision in Slaughter’s case is the latest in a line of recent decisions that chipped away at Humphrey’s Executor and expanded the president’s power over independent agencies. The Supreme Court invalidated removal protections for the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2020 and the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency in 2021.

Supreme Court to review the legality of mass voter purges in the weeks before an election

2026-06-29T14:11:59.406Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/29/politics/supreme-court-review-voter-purges-election

The Supreme Court will review the legality of mass voters purges in the final weeks before an election, as part of a larger case the justices are taking up examining the methods Arizona uses to keep non-citizens off the voter rolls.

The dispute will not be resolved before the midterms, but it elevates efforts by Republicans to tighten voting rules amid President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of mass election fraud.

The justices will be examining the scope of the National Voter Registration Act, a 1993 law that governs how states maintain their voter rolls. While much of the case concerns Arizona’s specific procedures for vetting voters’ citizenship status, the dispute also tees up a question with nationwide implications about when election officials can purge rolls.

The NVRA forbids “systematic” voter removals program within 90 days of an election. Lower courts in the past have applied that prohibition toward programs aimed at removing non-citizens from the rolls in mass.

Now Republicans and the Trump administration is arguing that the NVRA’s so-called quiet period does not cover purges aimed at culling non-citizens from the rolls.

The grant of the case comes after the Supreme Court gave a major win to Republicans with a ruling this term that hobbled the use of the Voting Rights Act to challenge redistricting plans. On Monday, the justices punted on another case Republicans were asking it to review, by requesting more briefing on a petition seeking to revive Pennsylvania’s requirement that voters put the data on mail ballot envelopes. That case, if ultimately taken up, would give the higher court the opportunity to further rein in when lower courts can strike down restrictive voting laws.

The Supreme Court will give a fuller look at the 2022 Arizona law next term, having considered it once before on its emergency docket. The justices will look specifically at a provision of the law that bars them from registering using Arizona’s state-based registration form.

Previously, the Supreme Court let that requirement go into effect before the 2024 election, but the high court let stand an appeals court ruling halting the proof of citizenship requirement for mail voting.

Older court precedents have established that Arizona voters without proof of citizenship can register to vote using the federal voter registration form, but those federal-only voters cannot cast ballots in state or local contests.

The scrutiny of Arizona’s voter purge program could drastically change how voter lists are maintained around the country, as the Trump administration and some Republicans have argued that states are not doing enough to keep their voter rolls clean.

Currently, in the 90 days before an election, states can only remove voters from rolls on a one-by-one basis, if the voter asks to be removed to be removed or if there is “individualized” investigations about the eligibility.

Arizona and other states, however, have pushed for the ability to do data-matching programs within that 90 days, using federal citizenship data programs or state citizen databases. Those programs however, can at times wrongly flag citizens as ineligible voters, leading to concerns that allowing the mass purges so close to the election does not give voters or states time to correct mistaken removals.

Supporters of Arizona and similar laws say the restrictions are commonsense regulations that keep voter rolls clean and prevent non-citizen voting. Critics say the laws risk disenfranchising eligible voters – one survey has shown that 9% of Americans do not have easy access to the citizenship documents, like passports, that qualify under the laws. They argue that because instances of non-citizen voting are so rare, the scant problem does not justify the hurdles the requirements could pose to ballot access.

Trump has made proof-of-citizenship requirements a central focus of his administration. But both his efforts in Congress and through an executive order to expand the requirement nationwide have been unsuccessful.

Several states have recently passed their own proof of citizenship laws and are still in the early stages of trying to implement the requirement. Arizona, however, stands out for its much longer track record of having various versions of the requirement on the books.

In the dispute before the Supreme Court, the challengers argue that a longstanding consent decree — stemming from a challenge from an older law adding the requirement — forecloses the state from demanding proof of citizenship for federal–only voters who register with the state registration form.

欢庆国庆 7月起可悬挂国旗

2026年6月29日 19:13 / 联合早报

从即日起，公众可以到人民协会民众俱乐部、指定的凯德商场，以及指定的Courts门店免费领取国旗。 （档案照片）

国庆将至，政府鼓励所有机构和家庭在2026年7月1日至9月30日期间，在办公室、大楼和住宅悬挂国旗。

我国即将在8月9日欢庆建国61年国庆，新加坡学生在学校里天天念的国家信约，今年也已迈入第60个年头。文化、社区及青年部星期一（6月29日）发文告宣布，从即日起，公众可以到人民协会民众俱乐部、指定的凯德商场，以及指定的Courts门店免费领取国旗。领取详情可上网查询。

在国庆期间，悬挂国旗的规定将放宽，例如不一定要用旗杆，或者在夜间没有照明的情况下也能悬挂。

当局也提醒公众，国旗在任何时候都必须受到尊重。如果国旗已损坏，就不能继续展示，必须包进密封的黑色垃圾袋里妥善丢弃，绝不能直接暴露在垃圾桶内。欲知完整的国旗使用指南，可浏览网站。

播放短片 纪念信约60周年

当局也将推出信约60年（Pledge60）活动，在指定地铁月台、全岛数码屏幕和各大社交媒体如脸书、TikTok上播放三部由普通市民畅谈信约意义的短片。公众能通过各类活动加深对信约的了解。

新加坡国家信约是在1966年8月24日首次引入学校诵读，它体现了我国多元文化、民主、公正和平等建国价值观。

桂林市委原书记周家斌涉受贿一审被判无期

2026年6月29日 19:15 / 联合早报

中国官方通报，中共桂林市委原书记周家斌涉受贿一审被判无期。 （取自中国最高人民法院微信公众号）

中国官方通报，中共桂林市委原书记周家斌涉嫌受贿，一审被判无期。

中国最高人民法院星期一（6月29日）在微信公众号上通报，湖南省常德市中级法院当天一审公开宣判广西壮族自治区人大常委会原党组成员、副主任，桂林市委原书记周家斌受贿案，对被告人周家斌以受贿罪判处无期徒刑，剥夺政治权利终身，并处没收个人全部财产；对追缴在案的周家斌犯罪所得财物及孳息依法上缴国库，不足部分继续追缴。

法院审理查明，周家斌在2009年至2024年利用担任广西壮族自治区南宁市委常委、副市长，北海市委副书记、市长，桂林市委副书记、市长，广西壮族自治区住房和城乡建设厅党组书记、厅长，桂林市委书记，广西壮族自治区人大常委会党组成员、副主任等职务上的便利，以及职权或者地位形成的便利条件，为有关单位和个人在工程承揽、资金拨付、职务晋升等事项上提供帮助，收受上述单位和个人给予的财物共计折合1.98亿余元人民币（3800万新元）。

法院认为，周家斌的行为构成受贿罪，受贿数额特别巨大，并使国家和人民利益遭受特别重大损失，应依法惩处。鉴于他具有重大立功表现，到案后如实供述罪行，主动交代办案机关尚未掌握的大部分受贿事实，认罪悔罪，积极退赃，涉案赃款赃物大部分已追缴，依法可对他从轻处罚。法庭遂作出上述判决。

公开资料显示，现年62岁的周家斌早年曾任中国建筑学会副秘书长等职，2008年后到广西工作，担任过自治区建设厅副厅长，南宁市副市长，南宁市委常委、副市长等职。

周家斌2011年任北海市委副书记、市长，2015年转任桂林市委副书记、市长。他在2017年任广西壮族自治区住房和城乡建设厅党组书记、厅长。

周家斌2021年2月任桂林市委书记，并在2023年1月升任广西壮族自治区人大常委会副主任，继续兼任桂林市委书记，直至2024年12月官宣被查。

去年6月，周家斌被开除中共党籍和公职，通报指他妄议中共中央大政方针，搞投机钻营，结交政治骗子；不按规定报告个人有关事项，在组织谈话时不如实说明问题；违规收受礼品、礼金，搞权色交易；利用职务便利为他人在工程承揽、职务提拔等方面谋利，并非法收受巨额财物等。

去年11月，检察机关对周家斌提起公诉，法院今年3月公开审理周家斌受贿案，他当庭认罪悔罪。

男子驾货车碾过走私同伙 法官裁定用危险武器蓄意重伤他人罪成

2026年6月29日 19:24 / 新明日报

卓思义原本被控企图谋杀罪，案件2026年1月在高庭开审。控方在审讯来到尾声时，将控状改为刑罚较轻的使用危险武器蓄意重伤他人罪。 （档案照片）

因怀疑被买卖漏税烟的同伙出卖，男子驾驶货车撞倒并碾过对方，导致同伙重伤昏迷，返国后离世。高庭法官不接受男子声称因毒瘾发作、不慎睡着才酿祸的说法，裁定他使用危险武器蓄意重伤他人罪名成立。

被告卓思义（51岁）日前在高庭受审后，星期一（6月29日）被判罪成，案件择日下判。他可被判终身监禁，或最高15年监禁外加罚款，已年满50岁的他不会面对鞭刑。

案件发生于2023年3月16日下午约5时零5分，地点在加基武吉5道、往加基武吉5路方向的路段。

卓思义当时驾驶一辆银色货车，撞倒正在骑脚踏车的32岁孟加拉籍男子侯森·塞利姆（Hossen Selim）。侯森伤势严重，昏迷不醒，隔年被送返孟加拉，并于2025年2月去世，庭上未披露确切的死因。

卓思义在案发三个月后落网，被控一项企图谋杀和两项抵触关税局法令的控状。卓思义不认罪，控方以企图谋杀罪进行审讯，但在审讯来到尾声时，将控状改为使用危险武器蓄意重伤他人罪。

根据控方的立场，卓思义与侯森因交易漏税香烟而结识。2023年2月，侯森在关税局一次突击行动中被捕，卓思义则逃离现场，他事后怀疑侯森向当局提供不利于自己的信息，因此约对方见面对质。

U转掉头与侯森同向行驶 再从后方撞倒对方

事发当天，卓思义驾驶货车沿着加基武吉5道行驶，侯森则在同一条道路的反方向车道上骑着脚踏车。附近车辆的行车记录仪拍到卓思义U转掉头，与侯森同向行驶，再从后方撞倒对方。货车随后碾过侯森，并继续向前行驶一小段距离后才停下。

卓思义下车检查货车情况后，致电一名男性友人，接着驾驶货车离开现场，把肇祸货车弃置在德福巷一个废置货仓外。

控方指卓思义在事发后告诉友人，侯森突然骑入他的车道，他来不及闪躲才酿成事故。几天后，卓思义与女友碰面时同样告诉对方，是侯森突然转换车道才造成意外。

不过，卓思义在审讯期间却改口辩称，自己是一名瘾君子，事发时因没有吸毒而出现药物戒断症状，整个人感到疲惫不堪，结果不小心睡着，直至撞到人后才惊醒过来。卓思义强调他是一时疏忽酿祸，而非蓄意伤害侯森，事后也感到非常愧疚。

但高庭法官安德烈认为，卓思义的辩词缺乏说服力，因为如果卓思义当时真的因睡着而肇祸，在朋友和女友追问事故经过时，他不可能完全没有提及这一点。尽管朋友在庭上供称自己可能没听清楚卓思义的话，但法官认为，对方是在试图协助卓思义脱罪才改变证词。

法官也指出，从行车记录仪画面可见，货车行驶期间，卓思义仍能维持好方向，并没有撞及其他车辆，与驾驶者睡着的情况并不相符。此外，卓思义具有伤害侯森的动机，因为他怀疑侯森向执法机构举报自己涉及漏税烟交易；事实上，警方在卓思义落网后也向他证实，侯森在案发前曾向执法机构提供对他不利的信息。

控辩双方接下来将就刑罚与求情提交陈词，法官择日宣判。（人名译音）

两周内第二起 疗养院因严重疏漏被健卫部吊销执照

2026年6月29日 19:39 / 新明日报 林伟杰

健卫部也从即日起派遣临时护理团队到LC疗养院。这是健卫部两个星期以内，第二度吊销疗养院的服务执照。 （档案照片）

因临床与护理、基本护理、感染预防与控制措施等方面出现严重系统疏漏，保健卫生部将从11月23日起吊销东海路上段一带的LC疗养院的服务执照。

当局也从即日起派遣临时护理团队到LC疗养院。这是健卫部两个星期以内，第二度吊销疗养院的服务执照。

健卫部星期一（6月29日）傍晚发布的文告指出，做出吊销执照的决定前，考虑了转移现有78名住户到其他疗养院的所需时间。

为保障疗养院居民的安全与福祉，健卫部星期一已经派遣临时护理团队到LC疗养院，确保居民在过渡期继续获得适当的护理。

根据文告，健卫部于2025年11月与12月进行审计，发现疗养院有严重且系统性的不合规行为。健卫部给予疗养院机会来改正不合规行为，并加强了监管力度，以评估是否须要采取进一步的监管措施。

健卫部于今年4月再次进行审计，发现疗养院未能全面落实某些整改措施，以及未能维持针对先前发现的违规行为的整改效果，而且还出现新的和重复的违规行为。

欧盟总部热浪中关冷气 “高官有低层无”惹员工不满

2026年6月29日 16:30 / 联合早报

欧洲热浪下，欧盟总部低楼层冷气被迫关闭，高层办公室未受影响，引发员工不满。 （路透社）

欧洲极端热浪持续，欧盟委员会总部也“热”出了怨气。

布鲁塞尔贝尔莱蒙大楼近日因极端天气被迫关闭一至七楼的冷气机，但欧盟高层所在的高楼层仍能照常制冷，引发员工不满，有人讽刺这“像封建制度”。

美国政治新闻网站Politico报道，贝尔莱蒙大楼共有13层，是欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩、26名欧盟委员和约3000名员工的办公地点。冯德莱恩在13楼办公，多数欧盟委员办公室设在八楼或以上。

大楼员工上星期五（6月26日）中午收到紧急简讯，通知称：“由于极端天气状况，贝尔莱蒙大楼一至七楼制冷系统将在当天余下时间关闭。”

比利时和欧洲多地过去一周持续受热浪影响，气温屡创新高。欧盟委员会本周稍早向员工发布防暑建议，包括避免在一天最热时段外出、定时饮水，以及提早开始工作。

不过，Politico取得的内部通信显示，这些建议引发部分在没有冷气建筑内办公的员工不满，其中包括农业与农村发展总司员工。

一名在贝尔莱蒙低楼层办公的欧盟官员匿名受访时说，较高楼层的欧盟委员办公室仍有冷气，“这就像封建制度”。另一名官员也批评这是“耻辱”。

另一名在八楼办公的员工则说，即使冷气仍在运作，室内温度也有25.7摄氏度。

这场热浪也再次引发欧洲社会对住宅和办公场所冷气覆盖不足的讨论。欧洲大陆只有约五分之一家庭安装冷气。比利时约五分之一列车没有冷气，国家铁路公司因此取消多班高峰时段列车。欧洲议会本周也因制冷系统用电增加而发生停电。

欧盟总部热浪中关冷气 “高官有低层无”惹员工不满

2026年6月29日 16:30 / 联合早报

欧洲热浪下，欧盟总部低楼层冷气被迫关闭，高层办公室未受影响，引发员工不满。 （路透社）

欧洲极端热浪持续，欧盟委员会总部也“热”出了怨气。

布鲁塞尔贝尔莱蒙大楼近日因极端天气被迫关闭一至七楼的冷气机，但欧盟高层所在的高楼层仍能照常制冷，引发员工不满，有人讽刺这“像封建制度”。

美国政治新闻网站Politico报道，贝尔莱蒙大楼共有13层，是欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩、26名欧盟委员和约3000名员工的办公地点。冯德莱恩在13楼办公，多数欧盟委员办公室设在八楼或以上。

大楼员工上星期五（6月26日）中午收到紧急简讯，通知称：“由于极端天气状况，贝尔莱蒙大楼一至七楼制冷系统将在当天余下时间关闭。”

比利时和欧洲多地过去一周持续受热浪影响，气温屡创新高。欧盟委员会本周稍早向员工发布防暑建议，包括避免在一天最热时段外出、定时饮水，以及提早开始工作。

不过，Politico取得的内部通信显示，这些建议引发部分在没有冷气建筑内办公的员工不满，其中包括农业与农村发展总司员工。

一名在贝尔莱蒙低楼层办公的欧盟官员匿名受访时说，较高楼层的欧盟委员办公室仍有冷气，“这就像封建制度”。另一名官员也批评这是“耻辱”。

另一名在八楼办公的员工则说，即使冷气仍在运作，室内温度也有25.7摄氏度。

这场热浪也再次引发欧洲社会对住宅和办公场所冷气覆盖不足的讨论。欧洲大陆只有约五分之一家庭安装冷气。比利时约五分之一列车没有冷气，国家铁路公司因此取消多班高峰时段列车。欧洲议会本周也因制冷系统用电增加而发生停电。

伊朗称在卡塔尔77亿元资产将解冻

2026年6月29日 16:33 / 联合早报

据伊朗伊斯兰共和国通讯社报道，伊朗总统佩泽希齐扬星期一（6月29日）说，伊朗在卡塔尔被冻结的120亿美元资产中，将有60亿美元（约77亿新元）解冻并还给伊朗。

伊朗称在卡塔尔77亿元资产将解冻

2026年6月29日 16:33 / 联合早报

据伊朗伊斯兰共和国通讯社报道，伊朗总统佩泽希齐扬星期一（6月29日）说，伊朗在卡塔尔被冻结的120亿美元资产中，将有60亿美元（约77亿新元）解冻并还给伊朗。