DC Circuit panel skeptical of Trump administration ability to fire independent officials

Published May 16, 2025 3:57pm ET



A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., was skeptical on Friday of the government’s arguments about President Donald Trump‘s authority to fire members of independent boards.

Justice Department lawyers contended during a hearing before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that Trump is within his constitutional right to fire National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox and Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris.

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