Two Democratic former members of the Federal Trade Commission on Thursday sued President Trump over his decision to fire them from the agency, accusing him of an illegal overreach of executive power.
Mr. Trump fired the Democratic commissioners, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya, on March 18, upending the consumer protection agency, which is typically run by three members from the president’s party and two members from the opposing party.
In a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, lawyers for Ms. Slaughter and Mr. Bedoya argued that Mr. Trump’s dismissals of them were without cause and violated federal law. They cited a 1935 Supreme Court precedent that said the president may not fire independent regulatory boards members solely over policy disagreements.
“In short, it is bedrock, binding precedent that a president cannot remove an F.T.C. commissioner without cause,” the lawsuit said. “The president’s action is indefensible under governing law.”
The White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, previously said that “President Trump has the lawful authority to manage personnel within the executive branch.”
The lawsuit was the latest legal battle to erupt over Mr. Trump’s attempts to expand the power of the presidency. In recent months, more than 50 court rulings have in many cases temporarily halted actions taken by the administration, ranging from its aggressive stance on deportations to its firing of civil servants.