{"id":2403943,"date":"2025-02-18T18:33:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T23:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-reinstates-merit-systems-protection-board-chairwoman-fired-by-trump-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-02-18T18:35:39","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T23:35:39","slug":"judge-reinstates-merit-systems-protection-board-chairwoman-fired-by-trump-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-reinstates-merit-systems-protection-board-chairwoman-fired-by-trump-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge reinstates Merit Systems Protection Board chairwoman fired by Trump &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudge-reinstates-merit-systems-protection-board-chairwoman-fired-by-trump-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2403943&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vivek-ramaswamy-reveals-his-supreme-court-picks\/\" title=\"Vivek Ramaswamy shares his top ... choices.\">federal \u2063judge<\/a> has\u2062 temporarily reinstated Cathy Harris as the chairwoman of the Merit\u200d Systems Protection \u200cBoard (MSPB) after her abrupt firing by former President Donald Trump. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras ruled that \u200bHarris should regain access to her position and benefits pending further \u200bcourt proceedings, also preventing Trump\u200b from appointing a replacement. Harris was removed just a week earlier, raising constitutional \u2064questions about presidential authority over self-reliant agencies. The\u2064 Justice Department argues that the president should have the power\u2063 to remove MSPB members at\u200c will, while Harris\u2019s legal team asserts that her <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">dismissal violated established norms requiring<\/a> cause\u200d for removal. This case echoes\u2064 a previous legal\u200d battle involving Hampton\u200d dellinger,\u200b the head\u200d of the \u200dOffice of the Special Counsel, whose dismissal was also contested. Both \u200dcases coudl potentially reach\u2062 the Supreme Court, which may led to significant changes in executive power and the ability of presidents \u200dto \u2062remove officials from independent agencies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Judge reinstates Merit Systems Protection Board chairwoman fired by Trump<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1997247\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily reinstated Cathy Harris, the chairwoman of the Merit Systems Protection Board, after she was fired by President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, ruled that Harris must be returned to her position and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/liposuction-25k-in-home-renovations-land-in-scotland-and-more-in-this-years-academy-awards-gift-bag-worth-137k\/\" title=\"Liposuction, K In Home Renovations, Land In Scotland, And More In This Year\u2019s Academy Awards Gift Bag Worth 7K\">receive full access<\/a> to her office&rsquo;s benefits until further court proceedings. The judge also barred Trump from appointing a replacement in her seat, <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.277372\/gov.uscourts.dcd.277372.9.0_1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">according<\/a> to a 21-page order.<\/p>\n<p>Harris, whose seven-year term was set to expire in 2028, was removed last week via a one-sentence email from the Presidential Personnel Office. Her termination raises significant legal questions about presidential authority over independent agencies, potentially setting the stage for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=3322769&amp;action=edit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Supreme Court<\/a> battle. MSPB handles appeals from federal workers who say they&rsquo;ve been treated unfairly.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/doj\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Justice Department<\/a> argues that the president must have the power to remove MSPB members at will, but Harris&rsquo;s legal team contends that her dismissal violates long-standing precedent requiring cause for removal. Contreras pointed to&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=3322769&amp;action=edit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Humphrey&rsquo;s Executor v. United States<\/a><\/em>, a 1935 Supreme Court decision that limits presidential power over independent agency officials, writing that Trump &ldquo;did not indicate&rdquo; a legally sufficient reason for Harris&rsquo;s removal.<\/p>\n<p>The case mirrors a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/election-watchdog-sues-to-stop-acceptance-of-ballots-after-election-day\/\" title=\"Election watchdog sues to halt post-election ballot acceptance.\">similar legal battle<\/a> over Hampton Dellinger, head of the Office of the Special Counsel, whom Trump also attempted to fire. Two federal courts have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=3322769&amp;action=edit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">declined<\/a> to uphold Dellinger&rsquo;s firing, and the administration has since appealed to the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<p>In its appeal petition to the high court, the Justice Department argued that&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/3320310\/trump-legal-setbacks-reinforce-need-key-judicial-picks\/\">Humphrey&rsquo;s Executor<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;permits tenure protections only in limited circumstances, such as &ldquo;a multimember body of experts, balanced along partisan lines, that performed legislative and judicial functions and was said not to exercise any executive power.&rdquo; It warned that such exceptions represent &ldquo;the outermost constitutional limits of permissible congressional restrictions on the President&rsquo;s removal power.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE&nbsp;TO&nbsp;READ MORE&nbsp;FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Dellinger&rsquo;s counsel countered that&nbsp;<em>Humphrey&rsquo;s Executor<\/em>&nbsp;remains controlling precedent, noting that it upheld restrictions on the president&rsquo;s removal power where Congress deemed them necessary to secure &ldquo;a modest measure of impartiality, expertise, and independence.&rdquo; The response emphasized that this ruling continues to underpin key aspects of the modern federal government.<\/p>\n<p>If either dispute was granted by the Supreme Court for a review on the merits, it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3318610\/trump-executive-strategy-tests-presidential-powers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">could lead to a historic ruling<\/a> on executive power, possibly overturning&nbsp;<em>Humphrey&rsquo;s Executor<\/em>&nbsp;and expanding the president&rsquo;s ability to remove officials from independent agencies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1997247\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1997247\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Judge reinstates Cathy Harris, MSPB chairwoman fired by Trump<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2403944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/trump-2-scaled-1024x684.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[50621,50433,50620,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2403943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-chairwoman-2","tag-judge-2","tag-merit-systems-protection-board","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/trump-2-scaled-1024x684.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2403943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2403943"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2403943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2403947,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2403943\/revisions\/2403947"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2403944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2403943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2403943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2403943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}