The US Supreme Court has ruled 5-4 that President Donald Trump did not follow due process in firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, a decision that may impact attempts to remove members of Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Oversight Board. The court, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, determined that Cook had the right to respond to charges against her before being fired.
Roberts was joined by liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, as well as conservative justice Brett Kavanaugh. The decision keeps in place a lower court order allowing Cook to remain in her position while the case continues. The ruling states that the protection against removal enjoyed by Federal Reserve governors is consistent with the Constitution, and that allowing removal without cause would deviate from the law and the nation’s tradition of protecting the central bank from political interference. The case has implications for the Fiscal Oversight Board in Puerto Rico.