The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday expanded presidential removal power for most independent federal agencies, ruling that President Donald Trump may fire agency heads at will—while carving out an exception for the Federal Reserve’s governor Lisa Cook. The decision, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, stems from a case involving FTC board member Rebecca Slaughter, whom Trump removed without cause despite statutory protections. The court held that removal protections for covered officers are contrary to separation-of-powers principles, departing from the unanimous precedent of Humphrey’s Executor. In practice, the ruling is expected to affect other regulators structured around boards or multi-member commissions, including the NLRB and various compliance agencies. For higher education stakeholders, the decision’s impact is indirect but significant: many campus policies—research compliance, labor relations, consumer protection, and student-facing regulatory frameworks—are influenced by how independent regulators operate and enforce rules. Universities will also be watching how litigation positions evolve as boards and enforcement priorities potentially shift.