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Federal Judge Issues Decision On Cook Case
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Federal Judge Issues Decision On Cook Case

In yet another dramatic clash between executive authority and judicial resistance, President Donald Trump’s attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook over serious allegations of mortgage fraud has been blocked by a federal judge — turning what should have been a straightforward personnel matter into a constitutional flashpoint.

Let’s be clear: Cook wasn’t fired for her policy views or monetary decisions. She was fired — or at least, Trump attempted to fire her — because of credible allegations of mortgage fraud, stemming from filings that predate her time on the Federal Reserve Board. Even CNN’s chief legal analyst Elie Honig couldn’t defend the discrepancies in her paperwork, and The Washington Post, not exactly known for giving Trump the benefit of the doubt, couldn’t muster much outrage over the firing attempt either. But still, the courts intervened.


U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, a Biden appointee, issued the ruling blocking Trump’s action, asserting that the president had overstepped. According to Cobb, Cook’s alleged misconduct — because it occurred before her tenure — doesn’t qualify as “for cause” under the statute governing Federal Reserve Board removals. The implication is that unless a Fed governor misbehaves while setting monetary policy, the president’s hands are tied.

Think about that: a sitting president of the United States is being told he cannot remove a high-level federal official even when that individual is under serious ethical scrutiny involving personal financial filings — all because the misconduct didn’t occur on the clock. That’s not protecting independence. That’s granting immunity.


Worse, this ruling comes amid a pattern — a judicial pattern — of encircling the Trump presidency with legal blockades at every turn. Trump’s efforts to fire other regulators and agency heads have often been met with judicial resistance, but at least those fights were about policy direction. This one is about basic integrity and qualifications. If a governor of the Federal Reserve — one of the most consequential financial policy bodies in the world — has potentially committed mortgage fraud, the White House should have a clear path to removal. Period.

The White House has vowed to appeal, setting up a direct collision course with the Supreme Court. While the justices have repeatedly affirmed Trump’s authority to remove powerful figures — from the CFPB to the FTC — the Fed is seen as a unique hybrid institution, with quasi-private status and statutory protections. That may complicate the legal picture, but it doesn’t make the president’s reasoning less sound.

Written by Arthur Higgens - September 10, 2025