A divided appeals court in Washington, D.C., dealt the Trump administration a blow in its quest to oust a Democratic Federal Trade commissioner.

Rebecca Slaughter was fired by President Donald Trump in March, alongside fellow Democratic Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya. The move was widely viewed as unlawful, as the FTC is meant to be an independent agency and its commissioners have removal protections. A federal judge ruled in July that Slaughter’s firing violated federal law and Supreme Court precedent, and mandated she be reinstated to serve out her full term, which runs through September 2029.

On Tuesday, an appeals court denied the federal government’s request to pause the lower court's order reinstating her. The judges noted Trump fired Slaughter without cause.

"The government now seeks a stay of that decision pending appeal. That motion must be denied. The government has no likelihood of success on appeal given controlling and directly on point Supreme Court precedent," they said.

"To grant a stay would be to defy the Supreme Court's decisions that bind our judgments. That we will not do," the judges added.