Federal Trade Commission
U.S. agency that protects consumers and promotes competition
- Entries
- 15
- On the record
- 9
- Stories
- 4
- Latest entry
- Nov 6, 2026
The record
The Federal Trade Commission was created by the FTC Act, which President Woodrow Wilson signed on September 26, 1914, and opened its doors on March 16, 1915. It is the U.S. agency that enforces consumer protection and competition law, and most of its own record is made in court, where its powers and its biggest cases have been tested, sometimes all the way to the Supreme Court.
Two Supreme Court rulings frame the agency. In 1935, Humphrey's Executor held that a president could not remove an FTC commissioner during his term except for the causes Congress set out. In 2021, a unanimous Court ruled in AMG Capital Management that Section 13(b) of the FTC Act does not let the agency win restitution or disgorgement in court, only injunctions.
Leadership and results have swung since. Lina Khan was sworn in as chair in June 2021 and Andrew Ferguson was designated chair in January 2025. Under Ferguson the agency dropped its defense of the non-compete rule and settled with Amazon for $2.5 billion, while courts rejected its challenges to Microsoft's Activision deal and to Meta. In June 2026 the Supreme Court allowed the firing of Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter.
Roles and honours on the record
- 1915 U.S. federal agency created by the FTC Act of September 26, 1914; opened March 16, 1915 source
- 2021-2025 Chaired by Lina Khan, sworn in June 15, 2021 after a 69-28 Senate confirmation vote source
- as of 2025 Chaired by Andrew N. Ferguson, designated by President Trump on January 20, 2025 source
Every entry, newest first
- Reported
FTC says the Commission voted 2-0 to authorize the complaint and proposed stipulated order against Progress and Pretium. Progress Residential and Pretium to pay $49.75M in FTC case
- Ruled
Supreme Court ruled 9-0 the FTC's 13(b) authority does not allow courts to order restitution, Reuters reports. Biggest FTC settlements ranked: Facebook $5B, Amazon Prime
- Filed
Announced a $5 billion penalty and 20-year order to settle charges Facebook violated its 2012 FTC order. Facebook $5B FTC penalty: what it required of Mark Zuckerberg
- Filed
FTC announces Equifax settlement with CFPB and states: at least $575M, up to $700M, over the 2017 breach. Equifax agreed to pay at least $575M over 2017 data breach
- Ruled
FTC says a federal court ordered OMICS Group's owner and companies to pay more than $50.1 million. Biggest FTC settlements ranked: Facebook $5B, Amazon Prime
Stories in this file
Business ยท ๐ฐ Biggest FTC settlements ranked: Facebook $5B, Amazon Prime
Facebook's $5B leads; Amazon's Prime order is a $1B penalty plus $1.5B in refunds, filed as a proposed order. Approval unconfirmed. โณ
Business ยท โ๏ธ Progress Residential and Pretium to pay $49.75M in FTC case
FTC and four states allege hidden rent fees and false prices. The proposed order still needs a federal judge's signature. โณ
Business ยท โ๏ธ Facebook $5B FTC penalty: what it required of Mark Zuckerberg
Zuckerberg must certify privacy compliance each quarter; a false one risks civil and criminal penalties. The charges are allegations. ๐
Business ยท ๐ธ Equifax agreed to pay at least $575M over 2017 data breach
A $300M consumer fund, $175M for states, a $100M CFPB penalty. The FTC alleged Equifax failed to secure its network, and the deal settled it. ๐
The record, entry by entry
- 1914-09-26 Official President Woodrow Wilson signed the FTC Act, creating the Commission, which opened its doors on March 16, 1915. Federal Trade Commission, agency history
- 1935-05-27 Ruled In Humphrey's Executor v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the president could not remove an FTC commissioner during his term except for the causes in the statute, such as inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office. U.S. Supreme Court, opinion, 295 U.S. 602 (LII copy)
- 2021-04-22 Ruled In AMG Capital Management v. FTC, a unanimous Supreme Court held that Section 13(b) of the FTC Act does not authorize the agency to seek, or a court to award, monetary relief such as restitution or disgorgement. U.S. Supreme Court, opinion, No. 19-508 (LII copy)
- 2021-06-15 Official Lina Khan was sworn in as FTC chair hours after the Senate confirmed her as a commissioner by a 69-28 vote. At 32 she was believed to be the youngest chair in the agency's history, the Associated Press reported. Associated Press report (News4Jax copy)
- 2025-01-20 Official President Trump designated Commissioner Andrew N. Ferguson as FTC chairman. Federal Trade Commission, press release
- 2025-05-07 Ruled The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. A&O Shearman antitrust litigation note, No. 23-15992
- 2025-09-05 Official The Commission voted 3-1 to dismiss its appeals in Ryan, LLC v. FTC and Properties of the Villages v. FTC and to accede to the vacatur of its Non-Compete Clause Rule, which a district court had found the agency lacked authority to issue. Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter dissented. Federal Trade Commission, press release
- 2025-09-25 Official The FTC announced a settlement under which Amazon pays a $1 billion civil penalty and $1.5 billion in consumer refunds over Prime enrollment and cancellation. Amazon admitted no wrongdoing and said it and its executives had always followed the law. Federal Trade Commission, press release
- 2025-11-18 Ruled U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled for Meta in the FTC's monopoly case over the Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions, finding Meta does not hold a monopoly in social networking, so it does not have to spin off either app. ABC7 News report
- 2026-06-29 Ruled In Trump v. Slaughter, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3, in an opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts, that the president could fire FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, holding that for-cause removal protections violate the separation of powers and effectively overruling Humphrey's Executor. ABC13 report
Documents
- Opinion, Humphrey's Executor v. United States, 295 U.S. 602 (May 27, 1935)
- Opinion, AMG Capital Management v. FTC, No. 19-508 (April 22, 2021)
- FTC press release on accepting vacatur of the Non-Compete Clause Rule (Sept. 5, 2025)
- FTC press release on the $2.5 billion Amazon settlement (Sept. 25, 2025)
- FTC agency history