Supreme Court Rules Trump’s Firing of Lisa Cook from Fed Was Unconstitutional
The Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump’s dismissal of a Federal Reserve governor was unconstitutional, marking a significant limitation on presidential authority over the central bank.
In its decision, the court stated that the president lacks constitutional authority to remove a Fed governor without cause.
The case focused on Lisa Cook, a Biden appointee whose 14-year term on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors is set to expire in 2038. Cook is the first Black woman to serve on the Fed’s board.
Last August, Trump abruptly fired Cook via social media, alleging she committed mortgage fraud by listing a second property as a primary residence to secure a better mortgage rate. Cook denied these claims and challenged the dismissal, asserting it was without cause.
The justices’ protection of the Fed’s independence marks a departure from previous rulings during Trump’s second term, which often granted him broad authority to pursue his agenda without congressional approval.
Previously, the court permitted Trump to remove a Democratic-appointed member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), leaving the board without a quorum to rule on labor disputes. It also curtailed lower courts’ ability to issue injunctions that had frequently blocked Trump’s policies and upheld a ruling limiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) use of race and ethnicity in enforcement decisions.
However, the court has now set boundaries on Trump’s power. This ruling represents a major victory for the Federal Reserve, which had faced White House pressure over the past year.
Supreme Court Rules Trump Can Fire Leaders of Independent Agencies
The Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump can remove leaders of independent agencies or commissions, overturning 90 years of precedent that restricted executive power.
The 6-3 decision in Trump v. Slaughter included dissents from Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Elena Kagan.
The case arose from Trump’s March 2025 firing of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) member Rebecca Slaughter, who was dismissed via email with the explanation that retaining her was “inconsistent with [the] administration’s priorities.”
Slaughter sued the administration, claiming she was fired without cause, and a lower court ordered her reinstatement.
The White House challenged the suit, urging the court to overturn Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, a 1935 ruling that limited presidential removal power over independent agency members.
The FTC enforces consumer protection and antitrust laws and is composed of five bipartisan commissioners, with no more than three from the same party. Congress designed restrictions on hiring and firing to shield the agency from partisan influence. The Trump administration’s request to stay the lower court’s ruling during appeal was denied.
Two appeals judges noted in their opinion that the government was unlikely to succeed on appeal because any ruling in its favor would contradict established Supreme Court precedent.
The Trump administration sought a stay from the Supreme Court, which was denied in September 2025 with three justices dissenting.
Former government officials warned that overturning Humphrey’s Executor would threaten agency independence. Lauren McFerran, former NLRB chair, and Celine McNicholas, a former NLRB official, wrote in an October 2025 Economic Policy Institute report:
“Eliminating these removal protections would jeopardize all facets of agency independence, as agency leaders would be reluctant to engage in regulatory or enforcement actions – or even day-to-day agency decision-making – without coordinating with the White House for fear of termination.”
Supreme Court Orders Lower Court to Reconsider 'Geofence' Warrant Case
The Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s decision in a case involving a Virginia man’s challenge to a “geofence” warrant used by police to access cellphone location data near a crime scene, which contributed to his conviction for armed robbery.
In a 6-3 ruling, the justices vacated the lower court’s ruling against defendant Okello Chatrie, who argued that the search was illegal and that evidence should be excluded. Chatrie conditionally pleaded guilty in 2022 to robbing a Midlothian, Virginia, credit union but continued to pursue his appeal.
The Supreme Court agreed that a search had occurred but remanded the case for further analysis.
Geofence warrants compel third-party companies, such as Alphabet’s Google in this case, to search customer location data for devices near a crime scene at the relevant time. Google is not a party to the case.
The Trump administration defended the use of this investigative method.
Supreme Court Upholds Law Allowing Mail-In Ballots Arriving After Election Day
The Supreme Court ruled against the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Trump administration, upholding state laws in over a dozen states that permit counting mail-in ballots arriving after election day.
The RNC challenged a Mississippi law allowing ballots postmarked by election day to be counted if received within five business days afterward.
Fourteen states, Washington DC, and three US territories have similar provisions.
Some states, including Nevada, changed their laws during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Mississippi defended its election procedures against the RNC’s claim that the grace period violates federal election laws.
During oral arguments in Watson v. Republican National Committee in March, conservative justices questioned the potential for election fraud and whether voters could recall and change mailed ballots—a practice Mississippi’s solicitor general Scott G. Stewart said does not occur.
Liberal justices highlighted federal laws permitting grace periods and noted implications for early voting.
Justice Elena Kagan asked, “You’re basically saying there are two things that have to happen, and they have to happen on election day, and it’s the casting of the vote and the receipt of the vote.”
The RNC lost in district court but won in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mississippi argued the appellate ruling was incorrect in its petition to the Supreme Court.
Voting rights advocates, military voters, and overseas voters filed briefs supporting Mississippi, emphasizing the grace period’s importance for voters facing unique challenges.
Supreme Court Declines to Revive Alan Dershowitz’s $300 Million Defamation Suit Against CNN
The Supreme Court refused to reinstate a $300 million defamation lawsuit filed by attorney Alan Dershowitz against CNN over its coverage of his remarks during Donald Trump’s 2020 impeachment defense.
The court’s brief, unexplained order was met with dissents from Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas, who urged reconsideration of defamation standards for public figures.
Dershowitz alleged CNN aired only part of his comments, distorting his meaning to suggest he had “lost his mind.” CNN argued multiple outlets similarly interpreted his remarks and that Dershowitz failed to prove intentional mischaracterization.
In his appeal, Dershowitz sought to revisit the landmark New York Times Co. v. Sullivan case, which requires public figures to prove actual malice in libel suits.
Dershowitz, a retired Harvard Law professor and legal commentator, was part of Trump’s impeachment defense team, which argued that a quid pro quo is unlawful only if the 'quo' is illegal. He claimed providing arms to Ukraine was lawful.
Dershowitz contended CNN edited his remarks to imply a president could avoid impeachment for illegal acts if done to secure reelection, a claim he called “preposterous and foolish.”
CNN stated it aired his full remarks live and invited him on twice more to clarify.
Lower courts dismissed the suit, finding Dershowitz did not demonstrate CNN acted with actual malice.
Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Bid to Overturn $5 Million Verdict in E Jean Carroll Sexual Abuse Case
The Supreme Court declined to review Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn a jury verdict that found he sexually abused writer E Jean Carroll in a New York City department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her.
The court issued a brief, unexplained order with no noted dissents.
Trump’s lawyers argued the verdict was based on “highly inflammatory” evidentiary rulings, including testimony from two other women accusing Trump of sexual abuse decades earlier. Trump denies all allegations.
His attorneys claimed the judge violated federal evidence rules and framed the case as a distraction from Trump’s presidential duties, though the verdict preceded his return to office.
Attorney Justin D. Smith wrote, “This mistreatment of a President cannot be allowed to stand.”
Smith has since been nominated by Trump for an appeals court judgeship.
Carroll’s lawyers urged the Supreme Court not to review the case, arguing the other women’s testimony was relevant due to similarity and that Judge Lewis Kaplan’s rulings aligned with precedent.
Carroll, a longtime advice columnist and former TV host, testified in 2023 that Trump turned a friendly encounter in spring 1996 into a violent attack in Bergdorf Goodman’s dressing room in Manhattan. The jury also found Trump liable for defamation when he denied the allegation in 2022.
A separate jury awarded Carroll an additional $83.3 million in a second defamation trial, which Trump is appealing but has not yet reached the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court to Release More Opinions with Major Rulings Pending
The Supreme Court is scheduled to release several final opinions at 10 a.m. ET, with major decisions on Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship and to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook still forthcoming.
Last week, the court delivered significant rulings favoring the Trump administration on immigration, including authorizing border expulsions that reshape the asylum system and permitting deportations of Haitians and Syrians previously protected from removal. These decisions, led by conservative justices, have been criticized as advancing a white supremacist agenda.
The court also upheld a restrictive gun law in Hawaii banning carrying firearms in certain public and private spaces without owner permission and ruled in favor of the former Monsanto company’s effort to block thousands of lawsuits alleging the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer.
Democratic challenger Graham Platner leads Republican incumbent Susan Collins by two points among likely voters in Maine, 49% to 47%, according to a New York Times/Portland Press Herald/Siena poll.
Despite Platner’s lead, 54% of respondents want Democrats to control the Senate, indicating Platner may be underperforming due to controversies.
Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna and House GOP hardliners threaten to block the annual defense bill unless Republican leaders attach the Save America Act voter citizenship measure, defying Trump’s calls to desist.
Senate Republican leader John Thune warned such an attachment would kill the defense bill, causing tension within the GOP.
Texas Representative Ronny Jackson commented,
“She’s going to have to start being a team player. It’s not an institution that can function with one rogue member, especially in the small majority you have.”
Trump posted on Truth Social praising the Great American State Fair at the National Mall and commenting on polling and gas prices.
“Highest Poll Numbers Ever. Even Higher than Election Day, November 5th. This despite the fact that, IRAN WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!”
“GAS PRICES COMING DOWN, FAST! REPORT ANY ABUSES AT RETAIL LEVEL!!!”
Interior Department Proposes Changes to Fossil Fuel Leasing and Cleanup Rules
The Interior Department is seeking to reduce public comment periods for fossil fuel leasing on federal land, shift cleanup financial risks to taxpayers, and allow increased planet-warming emissions. Advocates view this as an effort to dismantle public input and save polluting companies money.
Alexa Dietrich, research director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, stated,
“By ignoring public comment [requirements] while propping up companies, they’re really attacking democracy in a very clear way.”
The department proposed two rules governing oil and gas drilling on national public lands: one would lower fees companies pay for future cleanup costs before drilling; the other could permit more methane emissions.
The proposals would also remove the Bureau of Land Management’s obligation to assess potential conflicts with other resources, such as wildlife habitat, and reduce public participation in permitting.
Trump Announces Iran Meeting in Doha
Donald Trump announced via social media that a meeting on Iran would take place Tuesday in Doha, without providing further details.
He wrote in all capital letters,
“Iran has requested a meeting. It will take place tomorrow in Doha.”
Anti-Muslim Sentiment Rises in Texas Following Republican Primary
Following a contentious Republican primary runoff, anti-Muslim hatred has increased in Texas public life.
Residents report that hate speech from elected officials is echoed in everyday interactions, including education and public spaces. Incidents include a man burning a Qur’an near praying students at the University of Houston and verbal attacks on individuals wearing traditional garments.
Naila Syed, a Dallas resident and member of the Islamic Center of North America Council for Social Justice, said her daughters faced anti-Islamic remarks at school.
“To have a kid who has these points ready and memorized like this is just very concerning as a parent,” Syed said.
Some individuals feel unsafe venturing outside alone and have requested anonymity due to threats and harassment.
At the official GOP convention, some Muslim attendees were told to convert to Christianity or leave the country. Separately, a woman was filmed verbally accosting two Muslim women in a grocery store, stating,
“Islam is a terrorist organization, not a religion. This is not a Muslim country; this is a Christian country.”
Americans’ Pride in Country Declines Over Past Decade
A new AP-NORC poll finds Americans have grown less proud of their country’s history and democratic functioning since 2017, including declines in pride regarding the military and global political influence.
The survey was conducted amid heightened US-Iran tensions following US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Gallup polling shows only 53% of US adults are “extremely” or “very” proud to be American, the lowest since 2001.
The decline spans Trump’s first term, the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, and Biden’s presidency, with Democrats showing increasing disenchantment.
Trump Renaming Controversy Sparks Jokes at Mark Twain Prize Ceremony
At the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize ceremony, a large tarpaulin concealed the section of the marble facade where Donald Trump’s name was recently removed following a court order.
Performers delivered jokes targeting Trump, whose influence appears diminished in Washington DC.
Actor Woody Harrelson, honoring comedian Bill Maher, said,
“Finally, an award for my dear friend – ironically at the Trump Kennedy Center. No, all right, we fixed that.”The audience applauded, and Harrelson added,
“Not as though you’d be able to notice.”
Trump had installed himself as chair last year, and his board renamed the center and affixed his name. A judge later ruled the addition illegal and ordered removal of the 18 letters.
Supreme Court Nears Term End with Key Cases on Trump’s Power Pending
The Supreme Court is expected to issue rulings on several cases before concluding its term, many involving Donald Trump’s expansive claims of presidential power.
Justices typically announce all opinions before summer recess in late June, but 20 cases remain, many with major implications.
Cases include Trump’s efforts to restrict birthright citizenship, remove independent agency heads at will, and fire a sitting Federal Reserve governor.
The court is also considering laws banning transgender girls and women from public school and college sports in about half the states.
Two election-related cases involve grace periods for mailed ballots and limits on political party spending in federal elections.
Another case concerns geofence warrants collecting cellphone location data near crime scenes, criticized as invasive fishing expeditions.
Trump has criticized President Biden’s foreign policy, delivering a keynote address at a Maryland Democratic gala seeking to shift congressional control.
Escalating strikes between Iran and the US continue, undermining fragile peace efforts and prompting Trump to threaten severe retaliation.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin advised migrants on temporary protected status to seek permanent residence or leave following a Supreme Court ruling ending humanitarian protections.
An opaque White House office staffed by veterans of Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” has quietly rebuilt sensitive federal websites in ways critics say may violate federal law.
