US Supreme Court blocks Trump's attempt to fire Federal Reserve board member

The US Supreme Court decided 5:4 that president Donald Trump did not have the legal authority to fire Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook. Had the firing gone through, Trump would have been the first president to fire a Federal Reserve official since the central bank's establishment in 1913. The Court found that Cook was not afforded the procedural protections required by law.

The US Supreme Court made a historic decision on Monday, 29 June 2026, refusing to allow president Donald Trump to fire Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook. The decision protects the independence of the US central bank from presidential political pressure.

Contents of the decision and voting results

The Court blocked the firing 5:4. The decision was supported by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and the Court's three liberal members. Conservative justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett dissented.

Roberts, who wrote the decision, noted that Trump "did not afford Cook the procedural protections required by law. Without these, Cook could not properly contest the accusations presented by the president." Roberts further emphasized that Federal Reserve board members do not serve at the president's pleasure, but fulfil 14-year terms and can be removed from office only for cause.

Background to the dispute

Trump fired Lisa Cook last year in August, accusing her of improper conduct in obtaining a mortgage. Cook herself called the accusations a pretext, saying the real reason was disagreements with the president over financial policy. Cook's term was scheduled to last until 2038 and she was appointed by former president Joe Biden in 2022.

The justices rejected the Department of Justice's request, acting on behalf of Trump, to overturn a lower court order that prohibited Cook's immediate termination pending the outcome of her legal dispute.

An assault on central bank independence

The Federal Reserve is the world's most important central bank, shaping the cost of credit both in the United States and globally. Since Trump's return to the presidency in January 2025, the bank has been under constant pressure from him; the president has repeatedly demanded rapid and substantial interest rate cuts and criticized then-Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell for not complying with his wishes.

Trump's attack on Cook and the criminal investigation into Powell that began in January but was later ended have been characterized as the greatest assault on central bank independence since its establishment in 1913. Powell's successor, Kevin Warsh, took office as Federal Reserve chair last month.