OAKLAND, Calif. — California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined a coalition of 21 state attorneys general on April 18, 2025, in filing an amicus brief supporting two former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioners who were illegally dismissed by President Donald Trump.
The brief backs Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya, both Democrats, who were removed from their posts without cause—an action the coalition argues violates federal law and Supreme Court precedent.
“A strong and independent FTC is not a partisan issue, it is an American imperative,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “The President’s illegal firing of the two commissioners is extremely concerning and undermines the very independence that Congress intended for the agency.”
The coalition contends the dismissals violated the Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibits the president from removing FTC commissioners unless they are found guilty of “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” The Supreme Court affirmed these protections in the landmark case Humphrey’s Executor v. United States.
Slaughter, who had served since 2018 and was reappointed in 2023, was a vocal advocate for consumer rights. Bedoya, appointed in 2022, was known for his work on digital privacy. Their removal, Bonta said, not only dismantled the FTC’s bipartisan structure but also set a dangerous precedent for allowing the Commission to become politically influenced.
For over a century, the FTC has served as a nonpartisan watchdog, protecting consumers from scams, fraud, and anticompetitive practices. Its independence, Bonta stressed, is essential to its mission—especially in cases involving collaboration with state authorities, such as the recent efforts to block the Kroger-Albertsons merger.
Joining Bonta in the brief were attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The amicus brief urges the court to reinstate Slaughter and Bedoya and reaffirm the FTC’s structural independence from the executive branch.
