Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Let President Fire Agency Leaders

The US Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal that sought to give the president control over agencies that have long operated independently, potentially including the Federal Trade Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission.

The appeal, pressed by two research organizations in a case involving the Consumer Product Safety Commission, contended that the Constitution gives the president broad power to fire the leaders of executive-branch agencies. It called into question a 1935 Supreme Court precedent that has become a top target for anti-regulatory groups.

The court, as is its custom when turning away an appeal, made no comment, ...