A D.C. federal appeals court on Friday overturned district court rulings that had ordered the reinstatement of fired adjudicatory entity members.
A D.C. federal appeals court on Friday handed the Trump administration a temporary victory, overturning district court rulings that ordered the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) Gwynne Wilcox and the Merit Systems Protection Board’s Cathy Harris to be reinstated.
Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ordered NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox to be reinstated after her dismissal by President Donald Trump earlier this year.
Friday’s ruling halts both reinstatements while the case proceeds.
Wilcox filed a lawsuit Feb. 5 in D.C. federal court, claiming her Jan. 27 firing violated the congressional statute outlining NLRB appointments and removals.
Trump told Wilcox in a letter she was being fired because the NLRB had not „been operating in a manner consistent with the objectives of [his] administration.“
He also cited multiple recent board decisions, claiming Wilcox was „unduly disfavoring the interests of employers.“
On Feb. 10, Wilcox requested a summary judgment on an expedited basis, and, after a hearing on March 5, the district court ruled she could remain a member of the NLRB.
In a similar suit, Harris, a Democrat who led the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), argued Trump did not have the authority to terminate her Feb.
