Ex-Alito, Kavanaugh Clerk Defends Limits on Trump’s Firing Power

December 6, 2025, 10:00 AM UTC

A former clerk to Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh will face long-odds in convincing his former bosses to uphold a 90-year-old ruling limiting a president’s ability fire top government officials at will.

Amit Agarwal, who also served as Florida solicitor general under now US Attorney General Pam Bondi, will appear before the justices Monday to defend Rebecca Slaughter, the Democratic Federal Trade Commissioner who sued President Donald Trump over her firing and teed up the case for the court.

The conservative-dominated court has signaled an openness to interpreting presidential control over the executive branch in a way that favors Trump, ...

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