Federal Appeals Court Thwarts Trump's Labor Board Removals

A federal appeals court has blocked President Trump's attempts to remove Democratic members from labor boards, reinforcing the independence mandated by federal law. The full D.C. Circuit Court's decision emerged as a pivotal challenge to Trump's control over agencies. The White House has yet to comment.

In a significant legal development, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has blocked President Donald Trump's efforts to remove Democratic members from two key federal labor boards, reinforcing the independence that federal law mandates for such bodies.

Monday's en banc decision by the D.C. Circuit overrides an earlier ruling by a three-judge panel. This decision reinstates lower court rulings that prevented Trump from removing Gwynne Wilcox from the National Labor Relations Board and Cathy Harris from the Merit Systems Protection Board without cause, in accordance with existing federal laws.

This move complicates the Trump administration's attempts to exert influence over agencies designed to operate independently from presidential control. Requests for comment from the White House and representatives for Wilcox and Harris were not immediately returned.

(With inputs from agencies.)