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.
Leo XIV Is the New Pope
May 8, 2025
5 min
Trump Considers Jeanine Pirro to Replace Ed Martin as Top DC Prosecutor
May 8, 2025
2 min
FBI Opens Criminal Investigation of Letitia James
May 8, 2025
2 min
Texas AG Paxton Announces Vote Fraud Charges Against 6 People
May 8, 2025
1 min
Trump Announces Trade Deal with UK
May 8, 2025
1 min
Pakistan ‘Kills’ 50 Indian Soldiers in Retaliation Strikes
May 8, 2025
4 min
Bill Gates Accuses Elon Musk of ‘Killing’ Children with USAID Cuts
May 8, 2025
3 min
Trump Plans Executive Order to Slash Drug Prices
May 8, 2025
2 min
Trump to Announce Trade Deal with UK Thursday
May 8, 2025
3 min
Trump to Remove Biden-Era Chip Export Restrictions
May 8, 2025
3 min
Pro-Palestinian Protesters Take Over Columbia University Library — 80+ Arrested
May 8, 2025
5 min
Iranian Terror Cell Plotted Attack on Israeli Embassy in London
May 8, 2025
3 min
Putin and Maduro Sign Strategic Partnership Treaty in Moscow
May 8, 2025
<1 min
Ex-Porn Star Who Claimed He’s Diddy’s Sex Slave Signed $5M NDA
May 8, 2025
4 min
AG Bondi: Tens of Thousands of Videos of Epstein with Children, Child Porn
May 7, 2025
2 min
FBI Arrests 200+ Child Sex Predators
May 7, 2025
2 min
Pakistan Authorizes Military Response After India Strikes
May 7, 2025
5 min
Fed Holds Rates Steady — Warns of Stagflation
May 7, 2025
3 min
2nd Navy Jet Falls Into Red Sea from Truman Aircraft Carrier
May 7, 2025
3 min
Black Smoke Over Vatican Signal No Pope Elected on 1st Day
May 7, 2025
4 min