SCOTUS Blocks Trump Firing of Fed's Lisa Cook, 5-4
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- Supreme Court blocked President Trump's firing of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook in a 5-4 vote on Monday, allowing her to remain on the board while her legal challenge plays out.
- Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, holding Trump did not give Cook enough process to contest the mortgage fraud allegations — while explicitly noting the court has not yet ruled on the underlying facts.
- Roberts was joined by the court's three liberals and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, one of Trump's own appointees, who crossed over to form the five-justice majority.
- Trump became the first president in the Fed's 112-year history to attempt to fire a sitting board member when he removed Cook last year over the mortgage fraud accusations.
- The four dissenters — Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett — argued that if the court wants an independent Fed, its quarrel is with the Constitution, not with the President.
- Bill Pulte renewed mortgage fraud allegations against Cook immediately after the ruling, per an Essential Reads link in the newsletter, signaling the underlying fight over her seat is far from over.
Why it matters: The ruling preserves Cook's seat for now and treats Fed independence as a process-protected right, with the decisive vote coming from Kavanaugh — a Trump appointee — rather than the liberal wing. That crossover signals the majority views removal-for-cause as requiring real procedure, not just presidential assertion. Pulte's immediate re-allegation keeps the political pressure on, so Cook's tenure remains contested even as the Court lets her stay.
