Trump Scores Legal Victory as US Supreme Court Rejects Appeal Over Firing of Labor Board Member

The US Supreme Court has declined to review former National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox’s legal challenge to her dismissal by President Donald Trump, leaving in place a lower court ruling that upheld the president’s authority to remove her.

The decision, announced on October 19, 2026, marks another legal setback for Wilcox, who was appointed to the board by former President Joe Biden.

Trump dismissed Wilcox in January 2025, shortly after beginning his second term in office. Her removal sparked a legal battle over whether the president could fire members of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an agency responsible for addressing labour disputes involving private-sector employers and workers.

Wilcox challenged the dismissal, arguing that federal law protected board members from being removed without sufficient cause. A federal district court initially ruled in her favour in March 2025, but the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned that decision in December 2025.

Her appeal to the Supreme Court sought to challenge the lower court’s ruling. However, the justices declined to take up the case.

The latest decision follows the Supreme Court’s June 2026 ruling backing Trump’s dismissal of Rebecca Slaughter, a Democratic-appointed member of the Federal Trade Commission. That ruling weakened longstanding legal protections for officials serving on certain independent federal agencies.

Trump’s administration has pursued a broader effort to restructure the federal government and increase presidential control over agencies traditionally designed to operate with a degree of independence.

Wilcox, the first Black woman to serve on the National Labor Relations Board, expressed disappointment with the Supreme Court’s decision, raising concerns about the board’s ability to resolve labour disputes impartially and without political pressure.

The outcome represents a significant development in the ongoing legal debate over presidential authority, congressional oversight and the independence of federal regulatory agencies.