The Supreme Court Just Overturned 91 Years of Precedent. Here's What We Can Actually Do About It.

On June 30, 2026, the Supreme Court handed down a 6-3 ruling in Trump v. Slaughter that overturned Humphrey's Executor v. United States, the 1935 decision that established Congress's power to protect the leaders of independent federal agencies from being fired by the president without cause.

For 91 years, that precedent kept agencies like the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, and the Federal Communications Commission insulated from political interference. These agencies regulate the economy, protect consumers, enforce labor laws, and safeguard the airwaves. They were designed to make decisions based on expertise and the public interest, not on who the president wants to reward or punish.

That protection is now gone.

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the conservative majority, declared that officers exercising executive power must remain subject to presidential supervision and removal. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, reading her dissent from the bench in a rare display of disagreement, warned that the result is "a President who emerges with far greater power than ever before."

The ruling impacts roughly two dozen multimember agencies across the federal government. The one exception, for now, is the Federal Reserve. In a separate 5-4 decision in Trump v. Cook, the Court blocked Trump from firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, with Roberts and Kavanaugh joining the three liberal justices to preserve the central bank's independence. How long that exception holds is anyone's guess.

This is a massive expansion of presidential power. But it is not the end of the conversation.

What Can We Actually Do?

It is easy to feel powerless on a day like this. But there are real, concrete actions that move the needle. Here they are, ranked by impact.

1. Vote in 2026 and Take Someone With You

The Senate confirms Supreme Court justices. Every Senate seat is a vote on the future of the Court. In Georgia, that means showing up in November and bringing people who sat out last time. This is the single most powerful thing you can do.

2. Volunteer for a Local Candidate

This is the one nobody does and it is the one that matters most after voting. Local candidates do not have staff. They do not have budgets. They are running on nights and weekends against people backed by party machines and corporate money. They need you to knock doors, make phone calls, write postcards, drive voters to the polls, put up yard signs, hand out flyers, and show up at events. Two hours a week from ten volunteers can swing a local race. These are the races that decide who runs your schools, your police department, your zoning board, and your county government. If you are angry about what the Supreme Court did today, channel that into the races where your effort has the most direct impact.

3. Support State Attorneys General Who Will Fight Back

State attorneys general are already filing legal challenges to specific firings under this ruling. They are the front line of legal resistance at the state level. Support the ones doing the work.

4. Submit Your Public Comment on OMB-2026-0034 Before July 13

While the Supreme Court was handing the president the power to fire agency leaders, the Office of Management and Budget has been quietly advancing a proposed rule that would hand federal grant decisions to political appointees. Same power grab, different mechanism. All discretionary federal awards would require approval from a senior political appointee before funds can be obligated. That means research grants, community development funding, public health programs, and more would be subject to political review.

The comment period closes July 13, 2026. Public comments are part of the legal record courts will use to evaluate the final rule. Your comment is not symbolic. It matters.

Submit your comment here: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/OMB-2026-0034

5. Call Your Members of Congress

Demand they introduce legislation to restore agency independence. Yes, this Congress probably won't pass it. But getting members on record matters for 2026. When candidates run on restoring checks and balances, the legislative groundwork needs to already be there. We recommend using 5 Calls at least once per week: https://5calls.org/

6. Support Supreme Court Reform Campaigns

Term limits for justices have 74% public support, including bipartisan backing. Enforceable ethics codes have 70% support. Court expansion is more divisive but remains part of the conversation. Organizations like Demand Justice (https://demandjustice.org) and Fix the Court (https://fixthecourt.com) are leading these efforts. None of it passes today, but public support now builds the mandate for a future Congress that will act.

7. Support the Legal Organizations in the Fight

The ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Democracy Forward (https://democracyforward.org), and others are actively litigating against executive overreach. Democracy Forward alone has taken more than 100 legal actions challenging unlawful executive actions. These organizations need resources to keep fighting.

8. Run for Office or Recruit Someone Who Will

School board. City council. State legislature. The pipeline to better leadership starts local. If you are in Cherokee, Pickens, Bartow, Forsyth, or Cobb County, NGA CAN can help you get started. Reach out to us.

9. Go to Your Local Government Meetings

City council. County commission. School board. Planning and zoning. Federal power grabs embolden local officials to push boundaries too, and they absolutely do it when they think nobody is watching. Your physical presence in that room changes the math. When they see empty seats, they get comfortable. When they see full seats, they think twice. Local government decisions about policing, zoning, public spending, and civil liberties happen in rooms that are almost always half empty. Fill those seats.

10. Show Up and Be Visible

Join a Stand for Democracy. Come to a Bridge Brigade. Walk in the Woodstock Fourth of July parade with us. Print your own flyers and hand them out in your neighborhood. Do something. Anything.

Visibility is not just symbolic. Research consistently shows that sustained public action shifts public opinion, pressures elected officials to respond, and activates people who were sitting on the sidelines waiting to see if anyone else cared. Every person who sees you standing on a bridge or holding a sign is a person who now knows resistance is real and not just something happening on a screen. That is how movements grow. One neighbor at a time.

The Court may have handed down this ruling, but they don't get the last word. We do.

North Georgia Community Action Network (NGA CAN) is a volunteer-led civic organizing collective serving Cherokee, Pickens, Bartow, Forsyth, and Cobb counties. Learn more and get involved at our website.