On June 29, 2026, in a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that (1) the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) statutory “for‑cause” removal protection for Commissioners violates the Constitution’s separation of powers and (2) President Trump lawfully removed Rebecca Slaughter from the FTC. The Court concluded that because FTC Commissioners exercise executive power, they must be removable by the President at will rather than only for “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.”
Continue Reading Supreme Court Holds FTC Removal Protections Unconstitutional
Andrew Smith
Andrew Smith advises clients on retail financial services, data protection, advertising and consumer protection, technology, credit reporting, and e-commerce issues. He assists banks, non-bank lenders, technology companies, and their vendors with regulatory compliance, litigation, and transactional matters.
Prior to re-joining the firm, Andrew served as Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), where he was focused on investigations and enforcement of privacy, data security, financial services, and marketing laws and regulations across a broad range of areas, including fair lending, technology platforms, digital advertising, payments, telemarketing, lead generation, affiliate marketing, consumer reporting, and small business financing. He also oversaw the Bureau’s extensive rulemaking and workshop proceedings, including on endorsement guides, security of financial data, subscription marketing, contact lenses, and children’s privacy. Additionally, he led the FTC’s COVID-19 pandemic-related enforcement and consumer education efforts. In a previous role as Assistant to the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the FTC, Andrew led a team of professionals to develop and draft ten rules and six studies under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Andrew represents clients before federal and state agencies—particularly the FTC and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)—in law enforcement and rulemaking proceedings. He regularly advises companies on the requirements of the GLBA, FCRA, DPPA, ECOA, FDCPA, TCPA and TSR, FTC Act, Dodd-Frank Act, and analogous state laws, including state insurance privacy laws and security breach notification requirements.
Giving The Middle Class Credit: With Latest Bill, Congress Is Taking A Step In The Right Direction
Bank-fintech partnerships are good for consumers and banks, as I recently explained in testimony to Congress during a hearing on the opportunities and challenges in the fintech marketplace.
Consumers benefit because banks are able to use fintech to deliver safer, more transparent, lower cost and more convenient financial products and…
Continue Reading Giving The Middle Class Credit: With Latest Bill, Congress Is Taking A Step In The Right Direction