The Supreme Court on Monday blocked President Trump’s attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, ruling that the president failed to provide her the procedural protections required by law.
The 5-4 decision, written by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, Kavanaugh, and Jackson, denied the government’s application to stay a lower court injunction that has kept Cook in her position since last fall.
The Court resolved the case on narrow grounds, declining to rule definitively on whether Cook’s alleged mortgage fraud constituted sufficient legal cause for her removal. Instead, the majority held that regardless of the underlying merits, the president was required to give Cook notice of the charges against her and a meaningful opportunity to respond before acting. A social media post demanding her resignation did not satisfy that requirement, the Court said.
Trump moved to fire Cook in August 2025, citing a referral from the Federal Housing Finance Agency alleging she had falsely claimed two properties simultaneously as her primary residence to obtain more favorable mortgage terms.
Monday’s decision did not decide the issue of whether President Trump’s reasons for attempting to remove Cook met the statutory “for cause” threshold, although it did make it clear that the question is reviewable by the courts. The court said the rationale for firing her would have to establish her “unfitness” for the office. If the Trump administration continues to try to remove Cook, the lower courts may have to decide whether the mortgage fraud allegations satisfy the requirement.