President Trump went to the Supreme Court on Thursday to ask the justices to let him carry out his firing of Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, saying lower courts are interfering with his ability to manage the administration.
Mr. Trump said he fired Ms. Cook for “misconduct.”
Lower courts ruled that the misconduct didn’t rise to the “for cause” standard required under the law to boot a Federal Reserve governor and that Mr. Trump didn’t give her enough chance to defend herself before her firing.
In his brief, Solicitor General D. John Sauer said the case demands the high court’s intervention.
“The question whether Cook’s removal is lawful warrants this court’s review, given the significance of the removal power to the president’s ability to supervise the executive branch and the importance of the Federal Reserve Board as a federal agency,” he said.
The justices have generally been receptive to Mr. Trump’s arguments on other firings of top officials at so-called independent agencies when they conflict with his policy goals.
But the Federal Reserve case is different.
The law sets the Fed up to be insulated from political meddling, and governors are to be fired only for cause.
Mr. Trump says he had cause.
He pointed to allegations of impropriety on past mortgage agreements, where Ms. Cook is accused of wrongly listing which home would serve as a primary residence.
U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, a Biden appointee, ordered in a preliminary injunction that Ms. Cook be restored to her post.
“The best reading of the ‘for cause’ provision is that the bases for removal of a member of the Board of Governors are limited to grounds concerning a governor’s behavior in office and whether they have been faithfully and effectively executing their statutory duties,” the judge said.
The Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington declined to stay that order.
Mr. Sauer asked the justices to issue their own blockade, which would let Ms. Cook be removed while the case proceeds through lower courts.
