US politics live: Donald Trump accused of seeking ‘massive, unchecked power’ by worried Supreme Court justices

Multiple judges on America’s highest court have expressed alarm at a move by Donald Trump, saying it could “destroy” the structure of the country’s government.

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Multiple justices on America’s highest court have expressed alarm at a move from Donald Trump, arguing it could give the US President “massive, unchecked power” and “destroy” the structure of the country’s government.

Today the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, a member of the Federal Trade Commission (America’s competition regulator) whom Mr Trump attempted to fire in March.

Traditionally, members of the FTC and a couple dozen more such agencies, which are theoretically independent, are protected from political pressure.

Federal law requires a president to show sufficient cause, such as misconduct or neglect of their duties, if he wants to get rid of them. Under a precedent that goes back to the 1930s, mere policy disagreements are not enough.

So Mr Trump is seeking an expansion of power, which would have implications for all of America’s federal agencies.

“You’re asking us to destroy the structure of government and to take away from Congress its ability to protect its idea that the government is better structured with some agencies that are independent,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor said today, speaking to the government’s lawyer.

Elena Kagan, another justice in the minority, warned of a possible slippery slope that would see presidential power run away unchecked.

“Once you’re down this road, it’s a little bit hard to see how you stop,” Justice Kagan said.

“It does not seem as though there’s a stopping point.”

“The result of what you want is that the president is going to have massive, unchecked, uncontrolled power.”

Mr Trump’s team argued that America’s regulatory agencies are essentially operating as an unaccountable “fourth arm” of the country’s federal government, and giving the president greater authority over them would bring them back, properly, into the fold of the executive branch.

Read on for more updates.

Originally published as US politics live: Donald Trump accused of seeking ‘massive, unchecked power’ by worried Supreme Court justices