{"id":2632507,"date":"2026-07-20T07:32:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T11:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/by-firing-election-bureaucrats-trump-is-just-doing-what-scotus-ruled-he-can-do\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T07:34:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T11:34:50","slug":"by-firing-election-bureaucrats-trump-is-just-doing-what-scotus-ruled-he-can-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/by-firing-election-bureaucrats-trump-is-just-doing-what-scotus-ruled-he-can-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Is Just Doing What SCOTUS Ruled He Can Do"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fby-firing-election-bureaucrats-trump-is-just-doing-what-scotus-ruled-he-can-do%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2632507&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses President Donald Trump&#8217;s recent dismissals of several Democrats from the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), which has led to concerns and debates over election oversight and federal appointment powers. Trump fired Commissioners Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland via email, and Commissioner Christy McCormick resigned, leaving the EAC without a quorum but with ongoing operations. The article emphasizes that presidential authority includes removing officials serving on independent federal commissions, as reinforced by a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. slaughter that clarified presidents can fire such members at will.<\/p>\n<p>Critics, particularly democrats and liberal outlets, claimed these actions undermine election integrity, but legal experts argue that the removals are well within presidential powers. The article also highlights ongoing issues with the EAC\u2019s functionality, noting its historically slow-moving processes and partisan biases, especially among Democratic appointees. Furthermore, concerns about election security are underscored by recent reports of Chinese infiltration into U.S. voter databases and efforts by the Trump management to scrutinize election systems for vulnerabilities. the piece portrays the removals as a rightful exercise of executive authority aimed at strengthening election integrity amid accusations of partisan bias and institutional weakness within the EAC.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The same liberals that have railed against voter ID are now running with their hair on fire over President Donald Trump\u2019s recent firings at the feckless <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eac.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Election Assistance Commission.<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>In a short and direct email earlier this month, the White House sacked two Democrats, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eac.gov\/about\/commissioner-thomas-hicks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thomas Hicks,<\/a> who was serving as commission chairman, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eac.gov\/about\/commissioner-benjamin-hovland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Benjamin Hovland<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service,\u201d the email advised, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/news\/politics\/articles\/2026-07-09\/trump-terminates-election-assistance-commission-members\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to<\/a> Reuters.  <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eac.gov\/about\/commissioner-christy-mccormick\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Christy McCormick<\/a>, the remaining Republican member on the four-member commission, resigned. She had served on the panel since 2014, when President Barack H. Obama <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rules.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/7E2C768E-DEE6-6777-E247-32E9A37E3043\/Bio_McCormick1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nominated her<\/a> and the Senate unanimously confirmed her to the post. She has yet to comment on her resignation. <\/p>\n<p>Commissioner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naco.org\/people\/hon-donald-palmer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Don Palmer<\/a>, a Trump nominee who was confirmed in 2019, left the commission in April when he was named Senior Legal Fellow for Election Integrity at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/staff\/don-palmer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Heritage Foundation<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The latest departures leave the EAC without a commissioner or a quorum, although election watchers say the bureaucracy will continue to operate without interruption. That hasn\u2019t stopped the doomsday predictions and allegations of Trump interfering with elections from the same leftists and accomplice media outlets that said nothing \u2014 or applauded \u2014 when the president\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/26\/trump-killed-bidenbucks-congress-needs-to-bury-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">predecessor<\/a> put his thumbs on the election administration scale. <\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Presidents Can Remove These Officials\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cAfter the Supreme Court\u2019s June ruling, it is still unclear whether the EAC would fall under the executive branch\u2019s expanded ability to fire independent regulators,\u201d the liberal-leaning News of the United States (NOTUS), falsely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.notus.org\/trump-white-house\/election-assistance-commission-firings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claimed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s nothing unclear at all about the 6-3 ruling in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/25pdf\/25-332_qn12.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Trump v. Slaughter<\/em>,<\/a> which agreed that members of the Federal Trade Commission, as part of the federal branch, serve at the pleasure of the president. <\/p>\n<p>Last year, the White House fired FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, a Democrat. She quickly sued, citing a 91-year-old Supreme Court decision that found presidents cannot fire members of so-called independent federal commissions without cause. Lower courts blocked Trump\u2019s\u00a0 executive action, pointing to <em>Humphrey\u2019s Executor v. United States<\/em>, a 1935 ruling that declared President Franklin D. Roosevelt was wrong in firing a conservative FTC commissioner at the time over policy disagreements. <\/p>\n<p>The high court\u2019s decision in late June put an end to such protections. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think it left a whole lot of wiggle room there,\u201d William Messenger, Vice President and Legal Director at the National Right to Work Foundation, said last week in an interview with The Federalist.<\/p>\n<p>The foundation filed a similar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrtw.org\/news\/starbucks-buffalo-fed-lawsuit-10042023\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lawsuit<\/a> in 2023, representing a Buffalo Starbucks employee. Ariana Cortes alleged the National Labor Relations Board\u2019s structure violates the separation of powers. Cortes argued that the NLRB had no right to dismiss a petition requesting a vote to end Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) union\u2019s representation of store workers. But at its core the lawsuit challenged the law that blocked presidents from firing NLRB members without cause. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe court decision found presidents can remove these officials if they want to. It will be very hard for agencies to get around [the ruling],\u201d Messenger said. <\/p>\n<p>That may not stop Trump Derangement Syndrome-afflicted Democrats from trying, anyway. <\/p>\n<h2>\u2018They Are Rank Partisans\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>In an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/show\/ousted-election-assistance-commission-chair-on-trumps-effort-to-control-voting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">interview<\/a> with PBS last week, Hicks said he was weighing all of his options. <\/p>\n<p>Not an advisable move, said Rachel Bovard, vice president of programs at the <a href=\"https:\/\/cpi.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Conservative Partnership Institute<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, he can try to sue, but he\u2019ll be enjoined immediately based on the fact that <em>Humphrey\u2019s Executor<\/em> is no longer in place,\u201d Bovard told the Federalist in an interview. <\/p>\n<p>The White House issued a statement following the removal of the EAC commissioners, noting that the president, as head of the executive branch, \u201creserves the right to remove individuals that may not be totally aligned with the important task of securing America\u2019s elections and ensuring every legal vote is counted.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>While the commission does not \u2014 and cannot \u2014 administer elections, it does assist state and local election officials with guidance and resources. Established through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/crt\/help-america-vote-act-2002\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Help America Vote Act<\/a> (HAVA) of 2002 in the wake of the Florida election debacle, the EAC is supposed to provide guidance to help states meet HAVA requirements, adopt voluntary guidelines for voting systems, and certify election equipment. It\u2019s also responsible for maintaining the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-wisconsin-elections-commission-illegally-used-unauthorized-voter-registration-forms\/\" title=\"Lawsuit: Wisconsin Elections ... Illegally Used Unauthorized Voter ... Forms\">national mail voter registration form<\/a> used by the states under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/crt\/national-voter-registration-act-1993-nvra\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Voter Registration Act<\/a>. EAC hands out federal cash to local election offices to assist in meeting HAVA requirements. <\/p>\n<p>Republicans for years have urged doing away with the little agency. Its functions could easily be performed in other areas of government, its critics content. The EAC\u2019s Democrat members in particular have shown themselves to be tools of leftist voting groups that talk about free and fair elections but rail against popular election reforms such as photo ID to vote and proof of U.S, citizenship at registration. Even when the commission has had a quorum, passage of any policy requires a 3 to 1 vote. <\/p>\n<p>Former commission member and election integrity warrior Cleta Mitchell has long pointed out that the Democratic-appointed commissioners have had little interest in pursuing election integrity reforms. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re rank partisans,\u201d Bovard said. <\/p>\n<h2>\u2018He\u2019s Got to Have Confidence\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Election integrity is clearly top of mind for Trump, who on Thursday delivered a national address on the topic and reams of declassified documents exposing a vulnerable election system. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t it be in his interest to get this right?\u201d Bovard said of Trump\u2019s pursuit of naming EAC members who share his sense of urgency. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a priority for him, it\u2019s a priority for his base. People feeling disenfranchised in some states is a big problem.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>As The Federalist has <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/26\/dems-unelected-bureaucrats-obstruct-implementation-of-trump-elections-order\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, the EAC isn\u2019t known for moving lithely, even in the most functioning of times. The commission got bogged down last year in trying to complete one of its core responsibilities: updating the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eac.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2025-06\/DRAFT_Voluntary_Voting_System%20Guidelines_Version_2.1_TGDC_Member_Review.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Voluntary Voting System Guidelines<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A committee charged with making a recommendation on the guidelines got waylaid by the National Association of State Election Directors, an ostensibly nonpartisan group routinely influenced by liberal election policy advocates. Microsoft has been a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nased.org\/corporate-affiliates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cGold Level\u201d<\/a> affiliate member of the association. An organization known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/voting-works\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">VotingWorks<\/a> was a Silver Level member. Dominion Voting Systems was a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nased.org\/corporate-affiliates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cBronze.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They were opposed to doing much of anything that would advance Trump\u2019s executive order on election integrity. <\/p>\n<p>In his national address, Trump discussed Communist China\u2019s infiltration of the U.S. election system and influence on the rigged 2020 presidential elections. He pointed to <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/16\/dhs-more-than-250000-noncitizens-are-registered-to-vote-in-four-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">declassified documents<\/a> that show China grabbed some 220 million U.S. voter files filled with sensitive information. <\/p>\n<p>A Reuters <a href=\"https:\/\/news.lee.net\/news\/nation-world\/government-politics\/trump-team-scrutinized-election-agency-before-firings\/article_6103369e-5807-45fb-ab41-ba71583498c1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> published Sunday claims new documents show the Trump administration spent more than a year \u201cscrutinizing\u201d the EAC, raising concerns about the commission\u2019s handling of the 2020 election, particularly its ability to secure voting systems. <\/p>\n<p>Given EAC\u2019s track record of gridlock and its reputation for \u201cinstitutional weaknesses\u201d, the commission\u2019s past of \u201cwillful disregard of the threats facing our elections\u201d, scrutinizing its operations is understandable. <\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Trump] has the ability to appoint commissioners who care about election integrity,\u201d Bovard said. \u201cHe\u2019s got to have confidence in the people overseeing our elections, that they are not rank partisans but committed to the carriage of their duty.\u201d <\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-knew-100-percent-he-was-fighting-for-the-little-guy-former-top-trump-economic-adviser\/\" title=\"... Knew \u2018100 Percent\u2019 He Was \u2018Fighting for the Little Guy\u2019: Former Top ... Economic Adviser\">award-winning investigative reporter<\/a> and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Liberals oppose voter ID but criticize Trump\u2019s EAC removals<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2632508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-20-at-2.03.50-AM-1024x583.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[61087,39490,6994,3634],"class_list":["post-2632507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-executive-authority","tag-legal-rulings","tag-scotus","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-20-at-2.03.50-AM-1024x583.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2632507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2632507"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2632507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2632511,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2632507\/revisions\/2632511"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2632508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2632507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2632507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2632507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}