US Supreme Court Declines to Hear NLRB Member Gwynne Wilcox Firing Challenge
Supreme Court lets President Donald Trump's firing of NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox stand, declining to review the dismissal challenge.
POLICY WIRE — Washington, United States — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal by a Democratic-appointed member of the National Labor Relations Board challenging the legality of her termination by President Donald Trump.
The high court’s action on Oct. 19 left the removal of Gwynne Wilcox intact, following a series of legal maneuvers surrounding the dismissal of independent agency leaders. President Donald Trump originally fired Wilcox late on Jan. 27 as part of a White House purge targeting officials described by the administration as far-left.
Administrative law scholars previously noted that the removal would face steep hurdles unless the Supreme Court chose to roll back a 90-year-old precedent protecting leaders of independent agencies. The dispute involves agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board, alongside bodies like the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, and the Federal Reserve Board.
On May 22, 2025, the 6-3 conservative supermajority of the Supreme Court previously granted an emergency application for a stay. That procedural move allowed President Donald Trump to dismiss Wilcox despite statutory protections requiring cause for removal, and subsequently left the NLRB without a quorum to halt crucial operations.
The latest decision follows a June ruling by the high court that backed President Donald Trump’s separate firing of Rebecca Slaughter, a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
