WASHINGTON, D.C (May 8, 2025) |
The Christian Employers Alliance (CEA) has filed an amicus brief in Slaughter v. Trump supporting the president’s constitutional authority to remove Federal Trade Commission (FTC) officials who wield substantial executive power in contravention of the chief executive’s wishes. CEA is represented by Alliance Defending Freedom on the brief.
CEA President Margaret Iuculano says the case represents a critical battle for constitutional accountability in government agencies.
“When unelected bureaucrats exercise executive power without presidential oversight, Americans lose their voice in how laws are interpreted and enforced,” stated Iuculano. “The Constitution places the executive power in one elected official — the president — so that the people can hold someone accountable when executive authority is abused.”
The brief articulates that the FTC exercises substantial executive power through its authority to issue regulations, conduct investigations, and bring enforcement actions against private companies. CEA argues that such power must remain accountable to the president, who is elected by and answerable to the American people.
Iuculano says the constitutional structure for accountability applies to all agencies wielding executive authority, including those that have directly challenged religious employers, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
“CEA members have experienced firsthand how agencies like the EEOC can unilaterally expand federal statutes to force businesses to violate their deeply held beliefs,” Iuculano said. “When agencies operate as a law unto themselves, Christian employers face mandates on issues like gender identity and abortion that directly conflict with their religious convictions.”
The amicus brief reflects CEA’s broader mission to defend religious freedom in the workplace and is consistent with the organization’s ongoing efforts to protect Christian employers from government overreach and religious discrimination. CEA has successfully challenged the EEOC’s expansion of Title VII requiring employers to provide insurance coverage for gender transitions and is currently litigating against EEOC mandates that would force employers to facilitate abortions and adopt policies that violate their religious beliefs about gender and sexuality.
Such infringements upon Americans’ First Amendment rights have led to discrimination against faith-based entrepreneurs, forcing them to navigate an increasingly hostile business environment. By confronting the forces that seek to marginalize Christian businesses, CEA is taking decisive action to restore fairness, opportunity, and integrity to the marketplace.