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The court’s move is a blow to Trump, who has repeatedly and unsuccessfully asked federal courts to allow him to terminate Cook from the Fed’s Board of Governors without delay.
Trump has cited claims that Cook committed mortgage fraud as his reason for firing her. Cook denies any wrongdoing in connection with statements she made in applying for mortgages on two homes she owns in Michigan and Georgia.
The court simply noted the ruling without explanation, saying that a request from Trump to stay an injunction against removing Cook is “deferred pending oral argument in January 2026.”
Aside from the immediate issue of getting Cook removed, the administration’s effort is seen as a potential landmark case for the long-held veneer of independence the Fed has enjoyed from political interference.
Cook has not been charged with any crimes despite the White House’s allegation of fraud. Still, Trump has insisted that the accusations alone rise to the standard of “cause” that it would take for him to be able to remove a Fed official.
In supporting documents for the stay, the White House argued that the injunction amounted to “yet another case of improper judicial interference with the President’s removal authority.”
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