Overview
- A federal judge in Washington blocked the firing in September, finding the alleged pre‑office mortgage fraud—which Cook denies—likely falls outside the law’s for‑cause standard.
- The D.C. Circuit declined to stay that injunction, keeping Cook on the Federal Reserve Board while the case proceeds.
- Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the justices to allow removal during litigation, arguing the president’s determination of cause is not subject to judicial review.
- The Federal Reserve Act’s for‑cause clause is undefined and untested in court, and no president has ever removed a sitting Fed governor.
- Recent Supreme Court rulings broadened presidential removal over other agencies, yet the justices have indicated the Fed’s structure could warrant different treatment as they hear this case.