D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Holding on Federal Reserve Independence
President Donald Trump Cannot Remove Lisa Cook
On Aug. 25, 2025, President Trump found “cause” to remove Lisa D. Cook from her position as a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. In this court, the government does not dispute that it failed to provide Cook even minimal process — that is, notice of the allegation against her and a meaningful opportunity to respond — before she was purportedly removed. The district court thus preliminarily enjoined Cook’s removal based, in part, on its conclusion that her removal likely violated the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause. That conclusion is correct. For that reason —…
