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Appeals Court Rebuffs Trump on Fed Governor

Lisa Cook can keep her job, but White House expected to quickly appeal to Supreme Court
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 15, 2025 8:10 PM CDT
Appeals Court Lets Fed Governor Keep Her Job
Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Lisa Cook listens during an open meeting of the Board of Governors at the Federal Reserve, June 25, 2025, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

An appeals court ruled Monday that Lisa Cook can remain a Federal Reserve governor, rebuffing President Donald Trump's efforts to remove her just ahead of a key vote on interest rates. The Trump administration is expected to quickly turn to the Supreme Court in a last-ditch bid to unseat Cook before the Fed begins a two-day meeting on Tuesday, per the AP. Meanwhile, Cook's lawsuit seeking to permanently block her firing must still make its way through the courts.

The White House campaign to unseat Cook marks an unprecedented bid to reshape the Fed's seven-member governing board, which was designed to be largely independent from day-to-day politics. No president has fired a sitting Fed governor in the agency's 112-year history. Trump sought to fire Cook Aug. 25, but a federal judge ruled last week that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed's board. Trump appointee Bill Pulte has accused Cook of mortgage fraud because she appeared to claim two properties as "primary residences" in July 2021, before she joined the board. Cook has denied the charges.

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