A federal judge has ruled that Donald Trump’s decision to fire a Democratic member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) was illegal, ordering her immediate reinstatement. The ruling restores a functioning quorum to the labor board, which had been unable to rule on cases involving private-sector workers since the removal of Gwynne Wilcox in January.
The Trump administration had acknowledged bypassing federal labor law, which limits the reasons an NLRB member can be removed, but argued that such restrictions were unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell firmly rejected that position, delivering a sharp rebuke to the former president.
“An American President is not a king—his power to remove federal officers is not absolute,” Howell wrote in her 36-page decision. “The President’s interpretation of his constitutional power is flat wrong.”
The White House responded forcefully, calling Howell a “radical liberal judge” and vowing to appeal. Meanwhile, Wilcox’s legal team hailed the decision as a major victory for labor rights and independent governance.
With Wilcox reinstated, the NLRB now has two Democratic members and one Republican, allowing it to resume issuing rulings on disputes over union rights, workplace conditions, and employer practices.
The ruling is part of a broader legal battle over presidential authority. Courts have recently blocked Trump’s efforts to remove officials from independent agencies, setting up a showdown over executive power. Tech giants like Amazon and SpaceX, aligned with Trump, are also challenging the NLRB’s authority, arguing that the president should have unrestricted power to fire board members.
With the board back in action, labor disputes affecting major corporations and workers across the country are now back on the docket.
