Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the central bank’s board, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after the president declared in July that he had removed her from office. Trump accused Cook of mortgage fraud, but her legal team argues the allegations stem from events prior to her Senate confirmation and do not meet the legal threshold required for dismissal. Under the Federal Reserve Act, governors can only be removed “for cause,” a safeguard designed to protect the Fed’s independence. Cook’s attorneys say she was also denied due process, receiving neither formal notice nor a hearing before the announcement of her removal.
The suit, filed on August 28, names Trump, the Federal Reserve Board, and Chair Jerome Powell as defendants. Cook is asking the court to block her removal and reaffirm her position. A federal judge in Washington scheduled an initial hearing for August 29, setting the stage for what could become a historic legal battle over presidential authority and the independence of the U.S. central bank. If the case proceeds, it would mark the first time in the Fed’s 112-year history that a president’s power to dismiss a governor is tested in court.
