Chief Justice John Roberts said Fed governors "may be removed only 'for cause.'"
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook looks on outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, US, Jan 21, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard)
30 Jun 2026 12:40AM
(Updated: 30 Jun 2026 06:56AM)
WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court refused on Monday (Jun 29) to let Donald Trump fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook as it stood firm to preserve the central bank's cherished independence against an unprecedented challenge by the Republican president.The court, in a 5-4 ruling, blocked Trump from removing Cook for now, providing a safeguard for the Fed specifically, even as it boosted the president's power over government in a separate landmark ruling on Monday. In that ruling, involving Trump's dismissal of a Federal Trade Commission member, the court expanded presidential authority to fire leaders of other US agencies, overturning a precedent dating to 1935 in the process.No other president since the central bank's founding in 1913 had sought to oust a Fed governor. In his second term as president, Trump has tested the limits of presidential power in numerous other ways as well.UNPROVEN ALLEGATIONS
