The Supreme Court just redrew the map of presidential power, and the results could reshape crypto regulation for years. In a pair of landmark rulings this term, the Court handed the president the ability to fire commissioners at independent agencies like the SEC and CFTC at will, while simultaneously blocking the administration’s unilateral tariff authority and preserving the independence of the Federal Reserve.
On February 20, 2026, the Court ruled 6-3 in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the president to impose tariffs. That ruling invalidated a sweeping set of trade barriers that had been imposed under emergency declarations on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China. The power to tax imports, the Court affirmed, belongs to Congress.
Then in late June 2026, the Court ruled that the president can dismiss commissioners from independent regulatory bodies, including the SEC and CFTC, at will. But the justices drew a clear line at the Federal Reserve. Governors at the Fed retain their protections against at-will removal, preserving the central bank’s institutional independence from direct presidential control.
Bitcoin briefly surged approximately 1.75-2% after the tariff ruling hit the wires, breaching $68,000 before pulling back.
