DC appeals court sides with Trump on removing Democratic appointees from independent agencies

Published December 5, 2025 4:31pm ET



A federal appeals court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump was within legal parameters when he fired Democratic appointees at federal agencies and filled the positions with new board members.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit handed down a decision ruling that Trump did not abuse presidential powers when he removed Cathy Harris from the Merit Systems Protection Board and Gwynne Wilcox from the National Labor Relations Board.

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