Two appointees of independent agencies whom President Donald Trump fired must be reinstated, the appellate court in the District of Columbia ruled Monday.
The court decided in a 7-4 ruling that the Trump administration has not adequately demonstrated that it is likely to succeed in the lawsuit, brought by National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox and Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris.
The four Republicans on the bench dissented. Judge Neomi Rao, a Trump appointee, said she believed Trump’s removal of Harris and Wilcox fell “within his Article II authority.” She said a lower court’s injunction blocking their firings was “wholly unprecedented” and a breach of the judiciary branch’s authority.
Judge Karen Henderson, an appointee of President George H.W. Bush, said in a brief dissent that only the Supreme Court should make consequential…
