Chief Justice John Roberts intervenes in federal board member terminations
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has temporarily halted the reinstatement of two fired federal board members, delivering a near-term win to President Donald Trump as his administration continues to navigate legal challenges over executive branch powers. The decision to temporarily halt the reinstatement of National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox and Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris came after a federal appeals court voted en banc to reinstate them, citing Supreme Court precedent in Humphrey’s Executor and Wiener v. United States.
The Trump administration has faced backlash from the courts, with accusations of so-called “activist judges” slowing or halting some of Trump’s actions. The administration appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, leading to Roberts’ temporary stay on the reinstatement of Wilcox and Harris.
The full panel of judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit voted 7-4 to restore Wilcox and Harris to their respective boards, citing established Supreme Court precedent regarding removal restrictions for government officials of “multimember adjudicatory boards.” The en banc decision sparked intense backlash from the Trump administration, which has been vocal in its criticism of the judiciary.
The legal battle over the firings of Wilcox and Harris has been a rollercoaster of court developments, with D.C.-based federal judges issuing orders blocking their terminations, only to be reversed by the appeals court. The en banc ruling, which reinstated Wilcox and Harris, was met with resistance from the Trump administration, leading to the appeal to the Supreme Court.
The reinstatement of Wilcox and Harris is part of a broader legal landscape seeking to define the extent of the executive’s power. Other cases, such as that of Hampton Dellinger, a Biden appointee who sued the Trump administration over his termination, further highlight the ongoing legal battles surrounding executive branch authority.
Roberts’ decision to temporarily halt the reinstatement of Wilcox and Harris is a significant development in the legal saga surrounding the Trump administration’s actions. As the legal battles continue to unfold, the Supreme Court’s role in defining executive powers remains a crucial aspect of the ongoing debate over the limits of presidential authority.
