A key US Supreme Court justice indicated he wants to protect the Federal Reserve’s independence as the conservative majority weighed giving President Donald Trump power to fire members of the Federal Trade Commission and similar independent agencies.

During arguments on Monday, Justice Brett Kavanaugh raised questions about the Fed several times. He asked the administration’s top lawyer, US Solicitor General John Sauer, to address opponents’ arguments that adopting a broad interpretation of Trump’s firing power in the FTC case ultimately would undermine the central bank’s independence.