Rebecca Slaughter

Rebecca Joy Kelly Slaughter ( Kelly; born August 6, 1981) is an American attorney who served as a commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from 2018 until her firing in 2025 by President Donald Trump. Slaughter has contested the legality of her firing, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that she may be removed temporarily pending resolution of the case (a hearing was scheduled for December 2025). A member of the Democratic Party, she served as acting chair of the Federal Trade Commission from January to June 2021.

Early life and education Slaughter was born Rebecca Joy Kelly on August 6, 1981, in New York City. She graduated from Yale University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts. Slaughter spent a year as a paralegal in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office before attending Yale Law School, where she was an editor of The Yale Law Journal. She served as a longtime policy counsel to Senator Chuck Schumer of New York before accepting the appointment to a Democratic seat on the Federal Trade Commission in 2018 during the first Trump presidency. In this capacity, she filled the seat left vacant by Edith Ramirez. Slaughter prioritized broader enforcement measures related to artificial intelligence and data privacy.

Slaughter was nominated by President Joe Biden for a second term as commissioner on February 13, 2023. Shortly after her appointment to the seat, she gave birth to her third child, making her the first woman to give birth while serving on the FTC.

Removal

Slaughter was fired by President Donald Trump on March 18, 2025 along with the other Democratic commissioner Alvaro Bedoya, in contrast of the precedent set by Humphrey's Executor v. United States. Slaughter stated: "The President illegally fired me from my position as a Federal Trade Commissioner, violating the plain language of a statute and clear Supreme Court precedent". On July 22, that decision was temporarily stayed by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. On September 2, the court of appeals allowed the district court's decision to take effect, ruling in a 2–1 decision that a president may not fire an FTC commissioner without cause. On September 8, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily stayed the lower court's decision, following a September 4 request from the Trump administration asking that he be permitted to remove the commissioner. On June 29, 2026, the Supreme Court upheld her removal in Trump v. Slaughter.

Personal life Slaughter lives in Maryland with her husband, Justin Slaughter. They have four children.