Independent agencies stories

Oct 19, 2026

Supreme Court declines to review Trump's firing of NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge from Gwynne Wilcox, a Democratic-appointed National Labor Relations Board member who was fired by President Trump. The decision allows Trump's removal of the board member to stand despite laws protecting independent agency officials from at-will dismissal.

Oct 19, 20265 sources

Top claims

▪While the Supreme Court upheld President Donald Trump's removals of NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox and FTC member Rebecca Slaughter, the court previously prevented Trump from firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.
▪The Supreme Court's June 2026 decision in Trump v. Slaughter overturned the 1935 Humphrey's Executor precedent that allowed Congress to protect leaders of independent regulatory agencies from presidential removal at will.
▪Gwynne Wilcox, who was appointed to a five-year NLRB term by President Joe Biden in 2023 as the board's first Black woman member, was terminated by President Donald Trump in January 2025.

People involved

Donald Trump

Subtopics

Supreme Court decisions1 U.S. domestic politics1

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