An aide to President Donald Trump fired Gwynne Wilcox from National Labor Relations Board, but a judge ruled that broke the law.

Summary

A federal judge has reinstated National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member Gwynne Wilcox, ruling that Trump’s firing of her was “blatantly illegal.”

Judge Beryl Howell cited a federal law allowing NLRB members to be removed only for “neglect of duty or malfeasance,” noting this was the first attempted firing in the board’s 90-year history.

Wilcox had been appointed by Biden to serve until 2028. The Justice Department argued unsuccessfully that the law protecting Wilcox was unconstitutional.

The NLRB, created in 1935, handles union disputes and protects workers’ right to unionize, established during a time when labor conflicts often turned violent.

  • DominusOfMegadeus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    4 days ago

    The Department of Justice argued on behalf of the Trump administration that the law protecting Wilcox from at-will firing was unconstitutional. It said the National Labor Relations Board held executive authority that was borrowed from the president.

    “The proper remedy for an (allegedly) unlawful termination of a federal officer as here is backpay,” the department wrote. “It is not commandeering an executive agency and forcing the President to work alongside a subordinate in whom he has no trust.”

    Wow, what a horrible argument.