The appointments of two new commissioners on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) were confirmed Friday, with the Democratic-led agency welcoming Republicans Andrew Ferguson and Melissa Holyoak.

FTC Chair Lina Khan congratulated Ferguson and Holyoak on their respective confirmations, saying in a press release she looked forward to working with them to “vigorously protect Americans from unfair methods of competition and unfair and deceptive business practices.”

Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter was also confirmed to a second term.

Previously, Ferguson served as solicitor general of Virginia, chief counsel to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and as a Republican counsel on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He practiced law at several Washington, D.C., law firms and clerked for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Karen Henderson and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Holyoak most recently served as solicitor general with the Utah Attorney General’s Office. She brings previous experience as president and general counsel of Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute and as an attorney at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Center for Class Action Fairness.

Slaughter first joined the FTC in May 2018 and served as its acting chair from January 2021 until June 2021.

Ferguson and Holyoak were nominated in July by President Joe Biden to serve as FTC commissioners. Ferguson’s term will end on Sept. 25, 2030, and Holyoak’s term will end Sept. 25, 2025. Slaughter was renominated by Biden in February 2023, and her term will end Sept. 25, 2029.

The FTC has been led by Khan and its two other Democratic commissioners since March 2023, when Republican Christine Wilson resigned from her role.

Jeff Dale is Managing Editor, Editorial Projects and Analytics, at Compliance Week. He previously served as Compliance Week's Digital Editor and has worked as a copy editor at the Boston Herald and city editor at The Hour Publishing Co. in Norwalk, Conn.View full Profile

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