Federal Judge Rules Trump’s PCLOB Firings Were Illegal
President Donald Trump’s recent firings at the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board were illegal based on congressional intent and the Constitution, a federal judge ruled Wednesday (see 2502250052). Fired PCLOB members Travis LeBlanc and Ed Felten sued Trump, the…
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PCLOB, PCLOB board member Beth Williams, PCLOB Executive Director Jenny Fitzpatrick and White House Deputy Director of Presidential Personnel Trent Morse in February. Fired FTC Commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya are seeking an expedited decision and reinstatement from the same court, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (see 2504110049). The firings of LeBlanc and Felton were illegal “because although the plain text of the PCLOB’s organic statute does not include an express textual removal restriction, the Board’s structure and function clearly indicate that Congress intended to create such a restriction on the President’s removal power,” wrote U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton.