Donald J. Trump, President of the United States v. Rebecca Kelly Slaughter
Granted
No. 25A264·Stay application·Filed by the federal government·Presented to The Chief Justice·From United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
What did the Court do?
The Court granted the request on September 22, 2025: the lower court's ruling is on hold while the appeal continues.
Emergency rulings are temporary and do not decide the underlying case. Justice Kagan, Justice Sotomayor, and Justice Jackson would have ruled the other way.
Filed · Ruled · 18 days after filing
What's being asked
The federal government asks the Supreme Court to pause the district court order requiring Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter’s reinstatement. The dispute concerns President Trump’s firing of Slaughter without cause; the government says he may remove FTC commissioners at will. The government also asks the Court to hear the case before the D.C. Circuit finishes its appeal.
What the Court did
The Court gave the government emergency help, putting the district court’s July 17 order on hold (granted a stay, a temporary pause). It agreed to hear the case early (granted certiorari before judgment, or Supreme Court review before the appeals court rules), without deciding the questions. Justice Kagan dissented (disagreed with the result); Justices Sotomayor and Jackson joined her dissent (signed on to her writing).
The order records the positions of 3 of 9 justices. The Court usually does not say how each justice voted on an emergency application, so the rest are shown as not published.
Filing60 days
Half of 300 rulings on applications decided without a response came 8 to 28 days after filing, and the median was 14 days; this one was ruled on 18 days after filing.
What it means
The temporary pause does not decide who wins, and lasts until the Supreme Court issues its judgment. The order does not say whether proceedings continue in the D.C. Circuit. Related Supreme Court case No. 25-332 is set for argument in December 2025.
Separate writings
Justice Kagan, joined by Justice Sotomayor and Justice Jackson, dissenting
Facts on this page come from the Supreme Court docket, orders, and opinions for No. 25A264. The answers restate that record in plain words; explainer copy is written from the record and the filings only.