Supreme Court prepares for major test of presidential power in Trump efforts to fire Federal Reserve governor
Donald Trump made "you're fired" a national catchphrase from his TV show "The Apprentice." Now the power of the president to unilaterally decide who can continue to serve in key...
By Fox News · Fox News
Donald Trump made "you're fired" a national catchphrase from his TV show "The Apprentice." Now the power of the president to unilaterally decide who can continue to serve in key government positions will be tested Wednesday at the U.S. Supreme Court, in another major case over leadership removals from independent agencies. At the center of the latest constitutional showdown is Lisa Cook, who serves precariously on the Federal Reserve's powerful Board of Governors. Trump claims broad authority to force Cook from her leadership position on the central bank, free from judicial review, with his administration alleging she committed private mortgage fraud. Oral arguments will be conducted by the nine justices, who will hear separately from lawyers representing Cook and the Justice Department. POWELL REVEALS WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO STEP DOWN FROM THE FED AS PRESSURE MOUNTS As the elected head of the government, Trump believes federal law allows him unqualified discretion to fire "for cause" any officer on the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors or member of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). But Cook will tell the court the Federal Reserve was created by Congress in 1913 as a wholly independent entity, to insulate it from political influence, and from any one president "stacking the deck" with their own nominees. She claims to be a political pawn in Trump's very public efforts to dictate the Federal Reserve's economic policies, by exploiting what she calls "manufactured charges" of wrongdoing. This appeal comes as Trump's feud with the Fed has expanded, after its chairman, Jerome Powell, disclosed recently the agency was subpoenaed by the Justice Department for allegations he lied to Congress about a controversial multimillion-dollar renovation of the agency's headquarters. The high court will have at least four opportunities this term to define the limits of Trump's aggressive view of his authority, including import tariffs and birthright citizenship. "A big fract…