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RT Ben Rossen: Trump v. Slaughter will have major implications for the future of AI regulation. If you want a federal body that can independently asse...

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the President can fire FTC commissioners at will, overturning Humphrey's Executor and striking down for-cause removal protections as unconstitutional. This decision makes it harder—if not impossible—to have a federal body that can independently assess AI frontier models and impose binding consequences free from political influence.

Background

- The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) just overturned *Humphrey's Executor* (1935), a landmark precedent that protected commissioners of independent agencies (like the FTC) from being fired by the President without cause. Now the President can fire them at will. - The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) enforces antitrust and consumer protection laws, including those governing AI. Its "for-cause removal" protection was meant to keep it insulated from White House political pressure. - "Trump v. Slaughter" is the case name; it's not about Trump personally — it's a legal challenge brought during his administration that became the vehicle for overturning the old precedent. - The tweet argues that if courts won't let any federal agency operate independently of the President, then creating a future AI regulator with the power to independently assess and penalize frontier AI models (beyond political winds) is now far harder legally. - "Frontier models" refers to the most advanced, largest-scale AI systems (like GPT-4 or Gemini Ultra), which pose novel risks that some argue need expert, non-political oversight.

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