Judge Rules Trump Unlawfully Fired Democratic Labor Board Member
Judge Rules Trump Unlawfully Fired Democratic Labor Board Member
A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that President Donald Trump lacked the authority to remove a Democratic member from the Federal Labor Relations Authority, ordering that Susan Tsui Grundmann be reinstated to her post.
The decision by U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan in Washington, D.C., is a blow to Trump’s broader efforts to assert control over independent agencies and reshape the federal workforce.
“In the nearly fifty years since the FLRA’s creation, no President has ever removed a Member. Until now,” Sooknanan wrote in her opinion. “The Government’s argument that the statutory removal provision is unconstitutional cannot be reconciled with longstanding Supreme Court precedent that is binding on this Court.”
Grundmann, an appointee of Trump’s Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, was fired on Feb. 11 without explanation. The FLRA, which adjudicates disputes between federal agencies and government employee unions, is designed to be independent of White House influence. Under the law, its members can only be removed “for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.”
Sooknanan’s decision to reinstate Gundmann for now restores a 2-1 Democratic majority on the quasi-judicial body until her term expires in July.
Norm Eisen, executive chairman of the State Democracy Defenders Fund, which represented Grundmann, called the decision “an important win for the American people.”
“The judge further ordered that Grundmann be given access to the government facilities and equipment necessary to carry out her duties,” Eisen said, adding that “another illegal action by the Trump administration has been struck down.”
The ruling follows a contentious hearing on Friday in which Sooknanan appeared skeptical of the Justice Department’s argument that courts cannot force the president to reinstate unlawfully fired officials.
Last month, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by unions over mass federal worker firings, ruling their claims must be addressed by the FLRA.
The attempt to remove independent board members has faced mixed outcomes for Trump. Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld his removal of Hampton Dellinger from a State Department oversight board after a lower court decision previously reinstated him, prompting Dellinger to drop his lawsuit.
However, judges in separate cases have ordered officials at the National Labor Relations Board and Merit Systems Protection Board to be reinstated after similar dismissals, signaling continued legal battles over Trump’s authority to reshape independent agencies.
The ruling is expected to be appealed and could ultimately reach the Supreme Court.
White House Says Trade Deal Reached with China
May 12, 2025
4 min
Trump to Sign Executive Order to Cut Drug Prices by Up to 80%
May 12, 2025
2 min
Zelensky Agrees to Meet with Putin in Turkey on Thursday
May 12, 2025
2 min
Trump to Accept Luxury Jet from Qatar to Use as Air Force 1
May 12, 2025
4 min
Hamas to Release Israeli-American Hostage Edan Alexander
May 12, 2025
4 min
NC College Student Killed by ‘Career Criminal’ as She Slept
May 12, 2025
2 min
Elizabeth Holmes’s Partner Raises Millions for Blood-Testing Startup
May 12, 2025
3 min
ICE Attacked During Arrest of Violent Illegal Immigrant
May 12, 2025
2 min
Actor John Cleese Suggests Hanging Stephen Miller ‘By the Neck’ — Deletes Tweet
May 11, 2025
1 min
DOGE Deactivates Over 500,000 Credit Cards
May 12, 2025
2 min
Diddy Trial Drama: Star Witness Vanishes Ahead of Testimony
May 11, 2025
1 min
Zelensky Responds to Putin’s Counterproposal: Ceasefire, Then We Talk
May 11, 2025
3 min
Ocasio-Cortez Not Ruling White House Bid Out
May 11, 2025
4 min
Male Wins Girls HS Track Events in Maine
May 11, 2025
2 min
Pope Leo Warns Over AI as MIT Researcher Finds 90% Probability of 'Existential Threat'
May 11, 2025
2 min
US-China Tariff Talks Continue Sunday, Trump Praises Progress
May 11, 2025
5 min
Jerusalem Post: Trump to Announce US Recognition of Palestinian State
May 11, 2025
3 min
Putin Proposes Direct Talks with Ukraine to End War
May 11, 2025
<1 min
DHS Weighing Arrest of Dems Who Stormed ICE Facility
May 11, 2025
2 min
Ex-‘Teacher of the Year’ Sentenced to 30 Years for Grooming Students
May 11, 2025
2 min