The Supreme Court on Monday declined to allow President Donald Trump to immediately remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook from office, preserving her position as a legal dispute continues.
Chief Justice John Roberts authored the 5-4 majority opinion, marking a significant ruling on Federal Reserve independence. The decision follows an earlier Supreme Court ruling that struck down Trump’s emergency tariff authority.
What the Court Decided
Roberts wrote that Cook was entitled to notice and an opportunity to respond before termination under congressional statutes from 1913 and 1935. “Instead, all that is required is notice ‘to the officer of the charges made against him’ and ‘an opportunity to be heard in his defense,’” Roberts stated.
The court noted it has not yet addressed the underlying facts of the case, only the legal standards that must guide any future evaluation. The ultimate question of whether Trump can remove Cook will depend partly on facts that have yet to be determined.
Other Rulings From Monday
The Supreme Court upheld Trump’s dismissal of a Federal Trade Commission member in a separate 6-3 decision, also authored by Roberts. The ruling is expected to have broad implications for independent federal agencies whose leaders have traditionally been protected from removal.
In a third ruling, the court sided with the Trump administration against the Republican National Committee in a case involving mail-in ballots. The 5-4 decision overturned a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that had sided with the RNC in a dispute over Mississippi’s law allowing ballots postmarked by election day to be counted up to five business days after election day.
Trump’s Response
Following the rulings, President Trump called on Congress to pass the “SAVE America Act” on Truth Social. Trump cited the mail-in ballot decision as making the legislation more urgent, stating that voters should present photo identification and proof of citizenship while eliminating mail-in ballots except for illness, disability, military deployment, or travel.
Trump criticized Senate Republicans including Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, and Mitch McConnell for not voting to pass the legislation. The House has approved the bill three times, according to Trump’s statement.
