Latest news with #ReggieWalton
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Federal judge blocks Trump admin moves to dismantle Dept of Education
A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from dismantling the Department of Education on Thursday, ruling that it cannot be done without congressional approval. U.S. District Judge Myong Joun's order blocks the Trump administration from carrying out the mass-firing at the DOE announced in March and orders that any employees who were already fired be reinstated. Joun's order noted Trump's repeated calls to shut down the department while on the campaign trail, and argued the reduction in force was his means of doing so. "The idea that Defendants' actions are merely a 'reorganization' is plainly not true," Joun wrote. "Defendants do acknowledge, as they must, that the Department cannot be shut down without Congress's approval, yet they simultaneously claim that their legislative goals (obtaining Congressional approval to shut down the Department) are distinct from their administrative goals (improving efficiency). There is nothing in the record to support these contradictory positions," his ruling continues. The ruling comes just a day after another federal judge blocked Trump's administration from firing two Democratic members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton found that allowing unilateral firings would prevent the board from carrying out its purpose. Walton wrote that allowing at-will removals would make the board "beholden to the very authority it is supposed to oversee on behalf of Congress and the American people." The oversight board was initially created by Congress to ensure that federal counterterrorism policies were in line with privacy and civil liberties law. The two plaintiffs, Travis LeBlanc and Edward Felten, argued in their lawsuit that members of the board cannot be fired without cause. Meanwhile, lawyers for Trump's administration argued that members of other congressionally created boards do have explicit job protections, and it would therefore be wrong for Walton to create such protections where they are absent. "The Constitution gives President Trump the power to remove personnel who exercise his executive authority," White House spokesman Harrison Fields told the Associated Press. "The Trump Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue."
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Federal judge blocks Trump admin from firing 2 Dem members of privacy oversight board
A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump's administration from firing two Democratic members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board on Wednesday. Trump fired all three Democratic members of the five-person board in February, resulting in two of them filing a lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton found that allowing unilateral firings would prevent the board from carrying out its purpose. Walton wrote that allowing at-will removals would make the board "beholden to the very authority it is supposed to oversee on behalf of Congress and the American people." The oversight board was initially created by Congress to ensure that federal counterterrorism policies were in line with privacy and civil liberties law. "To hold otherwise would be to bless the President's obvious attempt to exercise power beyond that granted to him by the Constitution and shield the Executive Branch's counterterrorism actions from independent oversight, public scrutiny, and bipartisan congressional insight regarding those actions," Walton wrote. Trump's firings left just one Republican on the board. The third Democratic member had just two days left in her term when she was removed, and she did not sue the administration. The two plaintiffs, Travis LeBlanc and Edward Felten, argued in their lawsuit that members of the board cannot be fired without cause. Meanwhile, lawyers for Trump's administration argued that members of other congressionally created boards do have explicit job protections, and it would therefore be wrong for Walton to create such protections where they are absent. "The Constitution gives President Trump the power to remove personnel who exercise his executive authority," White House spokesman Harrison Fields told the Associated Press. "The Trump Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue." The plaintiffs also argued that their firings left just one member on the board, a Republican, and that falls short of the quorum required for the board to function.
Washington Post
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Federal judge blocks Trump's firing of two Democratic members of privacy oversight board
A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump's firing of two Democratic members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board . The ruling Wednesday from U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton ends the lawsuit brought by two of the three fired board members in February. The five-member board is an independent watchdog agency housed within the executive branch. Congress created the agency after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and tasked the board members with making sure the federal government's counterterrorism policies are balanced against privacy and civil liberties.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge finds Trump's firing of Democrats on privacy oversight board unlawful
A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that President Trump's firing of two Democrats on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) were unlawful, deeming them 'null and void.' U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said that PCLOB's 'responsibility' to oversee the government's counterterrorism actions and policies and recommend changes is 'incompatible' with at-will removal by the president. He invalidated Trump's firings of Travis LeBlanc and Edward Felten, two of PCLOB's three Democratic members, after determining that the board's structure and function 'clearly indicate' that Congress meant to restrict the president's removal power over its members. Trump also fired the third Democratic member, but her term was about to expire, so she did not join the other members' legal challenge. 'To hold otherwise would be to bless the President's obvious attempt to exercise power beyond that granted to him by the Constitution and shield the Executive Branch's counterterrorism actions from independent oversight, public scrutiny, and bipartisan congressional insight regarding those actions,' Walton wrote in a 71-page ruling. Trump fired the three Democrats just days after returning to the White House in January, bringing much of the board's work to a standstill. Established in response to the 9/11 Commission Report, following the 2001 terror attacks, the board was designed to ensure the government's work to fight terrorism is balanced with protections for civil liberties. The decision means that both LeBlanc and Felton can continue serving on the board until their terms end, unless the government appeals and a higher court rules differently. Several of Trump's firings have come under legal scrutiny, particularly regarding independent agency members. Most judges have deemed the firings unlawful, prompting appeals by the Justice Department. The government has an emergency application pending at the Supreme Court seeking to halt summary judgment rulings reinstating fired Democrats on the National Labor Relations Board and Merit Systems Protection Board. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Judge finds Trump's firing of Democrats on privacy oversight board unlawful
A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that President Trump's firings of two Democrats on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) were unlawful, deeming them 'null and void.' U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said that PCLOB's 'responsibility' to oversee the government's counterterrorism actions and policies and recommend changes is 'incompatible' with at-will removal by the president. He invalidated Trump's firings of Travis LeBlanc and Edward Felten, two of PCLOB's three Democratic members, after determining that the board's structure and function 'clearly indicate' that Congress meant to restrict the president's removal power over its members. Trump also fired the third Democratic member, but her term was about to expire, so she did not join the other members' legal challenge. 'To hold otherwise would be to bless the President's obvious attempt to exercise power beyond that granted to him by the Constitution and shield the Executive Branch's counterterrorism actions from independent oversight, public scrutiny, and bipartisan congressional insight regarding those actions,' Walton wrote in a 71-page ruling. Trump fired the three Democrats just days after returning to the White House in January, bringing much of the board's work to a standstill. Established in response to the 9/11 Commission Report, following the 2001 terror attacks, the board was designed to ensure the government's work to fight terrorism is balanced with protections for civil liberties. The decision means that both LeBlanc and Felton can continue serving on the board until their terms end, unless the government appeals and a higher court rules differently. Several of Trump's firings have come under legal scrutiny, particularly regarding independent agency members. Most judges have deemed the firings unlawful, prompting appeals by the Justice Department. The government has an emergency application pending at the Supreme Court seeking to halt summary judgment rulings reinstating fired Democrats on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).
