Executive Summary

On June 29, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. Slaughter that statutory “for-cause” removal protections for Commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) unconstitutionally impair the President’s authority over Executive policy-making functions of the U.S. Government. Slaughter provides new authority for the view that the similar protections afforded to Commissioners of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are likewise unconstitutional and unenforceable.

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Photo of Austin Schlick Austin Schlick

Austin Schlick brings decades of high-level government, corporate, and regulatory experience to his practice, advising clients on product safety, regulatory enforcement, and litigation strategy.

He joined the firm after serving as Executive Director of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), where he…

Austin Schlick brings decades of high-level government, corporate, and regulatory experience to his practice, advising clients on product safety, regulatory enforcement, and litigation strategy.

He joined the firm after serving as Executive Director of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), where he oversaw the agency’s programmatic, operational, and administrative functions. At CPSC, Austin managed the agency’s regulatory portfolio, leading efforts to identify and reduce consumer safety hazards. He supervised compliance enforcement, import surveillance, and international programs, in addition to overseeing the agency’s financial operations and stakeholder outreach.

Austin also served as the agency’s General Counsel. In that role, he oversaw teams responsible for regulatory policy, litigation, ethics, contracts, employment, responses to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and the Office of the Secretary.

Prior to his work at the CPSC, Austin was Director of Communications Law at Google. He founded and led the team responsible for Google’s global regulatory strategy, advocacy, and compliance for communications services, devices, and networks, guiding the company through its transition from unregulated to significantly regulated operations. He also established Google’s healthcare regulatory team.

Austin previously served as General Counsel of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where he represented the agency before courts, Congress, and other government bodies. He was also the FCC’s Designated Ethics Official and Chief FOIA Officer.

Earlier in his career, Austin served as Chief of the Civil Division and Chief of Litigation at the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland, and as an Assistant to the Solicitor General at the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Photo of Sarah Wilson Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson is a litigation and investigations partner who chairs the firm’s market-leading Product Safety Practice Group. Her clients include the world’s largest global consumer and commercial products manufacturers across a range of industries, including consumer packaged goods, automotive vehicles and equipment, aviation…

Sarah Wilson is a litigation and investigations partner who chairs the firm’s market-leading Product Safety Practice Group. Her clients include the world’s largest global consumer and commercial products manufacturers across a range of industries, including consumer packaged goods, automotive vehicles and equipment, aviation, electronics, life sciences, and information technology. Sarah has successfully represented clients in the largest recalls and safety-related investigations in recent history, including airbags, fire extinguishers, single load liquid laundry packets, toxic chemicals in household products, lithium-ion battery-powered laptops, car seats, and electric bikes and scooters. Sarah assists clients in developing cutting edge recall policies, compliance program enhancements, and voluntary safety standards.

Prior to joining Covington, Sarah served in several high-ranking federal government positions, including as a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, as Senior and Associate Counsel to the President, and as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Trial Attorney in the Department of Justice.

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Photo of Joshua González Joshua González

Josh is an investigations and litigation attorney representing companies in high-stakes government enforcement actions and internal investigations, with deep experience in consumer product safety and a particular focus on children’s products. He regularly advises manufacturers in matters involving the U.S. Consumer Product Safety…

Josh is an investigations and litigation attorney representing companies in high-stakes government enforcement actions and internal investigations, with deep experience in consumer product safety and a particular focus on children’s products. He regularly advises manufacturers in matters involving the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of Justice (DOJ), and state attorneys general, guiding clients through complex safety investigations, regulatory inquiries, and product recalls, often resolving matters without enforcement action. His practice spans consumer product safety and transportation enforcement, including emerging mobility technologies. He also advises companies on federal compliance regulations and designing proactive product safety and recall programs.

Josh has led complex product safety, regulatory, and government investigations across the consumer products, technology, automotive, aerospace, life sciences, and financial services sectors. His experience includes CPSC post-recall investigations and novel administrative litigation. He regularly advises on NHTSA defect reporting, recall execution, and connected and autonomous vehicle matters, and has represented clients in NTSB fatal-accident investigations. He also provides product quality compliance counseling and conducts sensitive internal investigations.

He has defended clients in investigations by the CPSC, NHTSA, DOJ, SEC, FTC, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and state attorneys general, as well as matters involving HHS and NYDFS. These matters have included False Claims Act, anti-money laundering, and tax issues, and have resulted in favorable outcomes, including resolutions without debarment or further government action.

Fluent in Spanish, Josh advises Latin American clients on anti-corruption compliance and coordinates cross-border investigations, helping multinational companies manage crises and regulatory scrutiny worldwide. Josh also serves as one of the San Francisco co-leads of the Latino Lawyer Affinity Group at Covington.

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Photo of Molly Brown Molly Brown

Molly Brown is an associate in the firm’s Washington, DC office and a member of the Product Safety, Congressional Investigations, White Collar Defense and Investigations, and Business and Human Rights Practice Groups. Molly represents clients in internal investigations and investigations by federal enforcement…

Molly Brown is an associate in the firm’s Washington, DC office and a member of the Product Safety, Congressional Investigations, White Collar Defense and Investigations, and Business and Human Rights Practice Groups. Molly represents clients in internal investigations and investigations by federal enforcement authorities. Molly frequently advises clients on compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Act, the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, and other federal safety laws and regulations. Molly also represents companies in investigations before congressional committees, which includes helping companies respond to congressional subpoenas and requests for documents and information and preparing senior executives to testify before congressional committees. Molly maintains an active pro bono practice focused on indigent criminal defense and immigration.

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