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.