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Rebecca Kelly Slaughter
American attorney (born 1983) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Rebecca Joy Kelly Slaughter (née Kelly; born August 6, 1981) is an American attorney who served as a commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from 2018 until her firing in 2025. Following litigation over her firing by President Trump, her removal was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court while they hear the case, which is scheduled in December 2025.[1][2][3][4] A member of the Democratic Party, she served as acting chair of the Federal Trade Commission from January to June 2021.[5]
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Early life and education
Slaughter was born Rebecca Joy Kelly on August 6, 1981, in New York City.[6] She graduated from Yale University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts. Slaughter spent a year as a paralegal in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office before attending Yale Law School, where she was an editor of The Yale Law Journal.[6] She graduated in 2008 with a Juris Doctor degree.[6]
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
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Slaughter was an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Sidley Austin before entering federal service.[7] She served as a longtime policy counsel to Senator Chuck Schumer of New York before accepting the appointment to a Democratic seat on the Federal Trade Commission in 2018, during the first Trump presidency.[8] In this capacity, she filled the seat left vacant by Edith Ramirez.[9]
Slaughter was nominated by President Joe Biden for a second term as commissioner on February 13, 2023.[10] Shortly after her appointment to the seat, she gave birth to her third child, making her the first woman to give birth while serving on the FTC.[8] Slaughter was considered for the role of permanent agency chair under President Biden, but the position instead went to Lina Khan.[11]
Removal
Slaughter was fired by President Donald Trump on March 18, 2025 along with the other Democratic commissioner Alvaro Bedoya, in violation of the precedent set by Humphrey's Executor v. United States.[1][12] Slaughter stated: "The President illegally fired me from my position as a Federal Trade Commissioner, violating the plain language of a statute and clear Supreme Court precedent".[1]
On July 17, 2025, Slaughter was reinstated to her position by Judge Loren AliKhan of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.[2][13] On July 22, that decision was temporarily stayed by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.[14] On September 2, the court of appeals allowed the district court's decision to take effect, ruling in a 2-1 decision that a president may not fire an FTC commissioner without cause.[15] On September 8, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily stayed the lower court's decision, following a September 4 request from the Trump administration asking that he be permitted to remove the commissioner.[16][17]
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Personal life
Slaughter lives in Maryland with her husband, Justin Slaughter. They have four children.[7][18]
Notes
- On March 18, 2025, President Trump attempted to fire Slaughter. On September 8th, SCOTUS allowed the removal to stand until they make a final ruling in December (Trump v. Slaughter).
References
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