Overview
- U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox blocked the May dismissals of three Biden-appointed CPSC members and ordered restoration of their pay and office access
- Mary Boyle, Alexander Hoehn-Saric and Richard Trumka Jr. sued after their termination, citing a federal statute that limits removal to cases of neglect of duty or malfeasance
- The Trump administration has argued that removal protections infringe presidential authority, a position the Supreme Court’s conservative majority has shown sympathy toward in related agency cases
- The decision invokes the 1935 Humphrey’s Executor precedent, reinforcing statutory shields for independent regulatory commissioners
- The CPSC’s independent structure has helped cut residential fire deaths by over 40% and reduce crib deaths and child poisonings by 80%, underscoring stakes in agency autonomy