The U.S. Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump a major legal victory in one of its latest rulings, but justices put Trump back in his place just when he thought he had the upper hand over the first and only Black woman on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve.
In a sweeping and historic ruling, the Supreme Court further expanded presidential power over the executive branch. The court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines. The decision overturned a 91-year-old precedent. That precedent limited the president’s authority to fire employees at certain federal agencies.
Congress intentionally created about two dozen of those agencies as independent entities.
They include the Federal Trade Commission. Under the old ruling, presidents could remove employees only under certain conditions.
A majority of justices agreed the law violates the separation of powers between the three branches of government, according to SCOTUSblog, and allowed Trump’s firing of FTC board member Rebecca Slaughter to stand.
But in a second opinion also handed down Monday, the court rejected Trump’s attempts to remove Fed board member Lisa Cook, limiting the president’s ability to interfere with the central bank.
In that case, the Trump administration argued that it could fire Cook over mortgage fraud accusations, which she denied, and that courts could not review the decision while she challenged her removal, NBC News reported.
Chief Justice John Roberts disagreed, writing, “To accept any of those arguments would in effect transform the Federal Reserve’s for-cause protection into at-will employment.”
Roberts said such a move “would be out of step with the statute Congress enacted and our nation’s tradition of central banking protected from political interference.”
According to NBC, Cook responded to the ruling in a statement saying Trump’s move was “an attempt to remove me on a manufactured pretext because I refused to bow to political pressure and continued to set interest rates based only on what would best serve the American people.”
But Trump isn’t done with Cook and tried to play off his court loss as temporary and just a “procedural” error.
“The Cook Lawsuit, having to do with her suitability in sitting on the Board of the Federal Reserve, was sent back by the Supreme Court on a strictly procedural basis, we will take appropriate action immediately to make sure that someone who has committed wrongdoing will not be making vital decisions concerning the Welfare of the United States of America!” Trump blathered in a post on his Truth Social platform shortly after the decisions came down.
Social media sees Trump for what he is, accusing him of racism in his attempts at removing the only African American woman on the Fed board.
Several Congresswomen weighed in on the Cook ruling.
“Trump’s brazen attempt to fire Governor Lisa Cook was always unlawful. And his targeting of the only Black woman to serve on the Federal Reserve Board was always a racist, sexist attack. We must continue preserving the Fed’s independence from blatant political interference,” Massachusetts Democrat Ayanna Pressley wrote on X.
Alabama congresswoman Terri Sewell agreed. “The Supreme Court made the right decision today by blocking Trump’s illegal attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. I continue to stand with her as she fights this bogus case.”
But the eight-term Democratic representative wasn’t done. “The Federal Reserve must be able to make decisions based on what’s best for the American people—not the whims of any one president. This ruling is a victory for the independence of the Federal Reserve, the rule of law, and every American who wants a stable economy and lower costs.”
Other posters chimed in.
“Trump is trying HARD to try to remove black people from government and important jobs. As well as trying to remove any trace of black history that would make white people feel bad,” a Threads user observed.
Others agreed, “So she’s female, black, *and a Doctor; thus infinitely better qualified than President Pampers claims to be. He must be gnawing through his Pacifier in incandescent pique??”
And this comment, “Another black woman he’s afraid of lol”
Last August, Trump called on Cook to resign after the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the current acting director of National Intelligence, Bill Pulte, claimed that the Biden appointee had committed fraud by listing two primary residences, one in Michigan and one in Atlanta.
Cook denied the accusations and refused to leave her position.
