Overview

• Every living former Fed chair and several former Treasury secretaries filed an amicus brief urging the Court to deny the government’s bid, warning that premature removal would erode Fed independence and risk economic harm.
• Lisa Cook submitted her own filing opposing removal, arguing it would eviscerate the central bank’s autonomy and transform the Fed into a body subservient to presidential will; her legal team includes former Solicitor General Paul Clement.
• The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to lift injunctions blocking the ouster, with Solicitor General D. John Sauer calling the lower courts’ orders improper interference with presidential removal authority.
• A district judge found the alleged pre‑appointment conduct likely insufficient “for cause,” and the D.C. Circuit, in a 2–1 ruling, held she was likely denied due process; Cook remains a sitting governor pending the Court’s decision.
• Trump’s attempt, based on FHFA Director Bill Pulte’s mortgage‑residency allegations from 2021, is unprecedented for a Fed governor; Cook denies wrongdoing, no charges have been filed, and reporting has surfaced documents that complicate the claims.