Trump asks Supreme Court to uphold firing of Fed governor Cook

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to issue an emergency order that would allow for the removal of Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors.

The move came after an appeals court refused to back the administration’s attempt to oust Cook earlier this week, upholding federal Judge Jia Cobb’s order last week. No president has ever removed a sitting Fed governor in the institution’s 112-year history.

Cook was allowed to participate in the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting this week, where the Fed board lowered its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a range of 4% to 4.25%, marking the first cut since December 2024.

Stephen Miran, who was confirmed on Monday to fill the remainder of Adriana Kugler’s term through January 2026 following her resignation on Aug. 1, was the only official to vote for a 50-bps cut this week.

Trump and other officials, including Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte, have accused Cook of mortgage fraud, alleging she signed 2021 documents listing more than one property as her primary residence. Pulte sent two criminal referrals to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Aug. 15, which prompted Trump to attempt to dismiss Cook “for cause” on Aug. 25.

Cook has denied wrongdoing and sued Trump after he tried to remove her. It was also pointed out that Cook’s mortgages were issued before President Joe Biden appointed her to the Fed in 2022.

Cook has not been charged, although the Department of Justice is reviewing whether she misrepresented the occupancy of three properties. A 2021 loan estimate reviewed by Reuters on Sept. 12 notes that Cook declared her Atlanta condo as a vacation home, seemingly undermining the fraud allegations.

“The Department of Justice does not comment on current or prospective litigation, including matters that may be an investigation,” a spokesperson told HousingWire.

Neither Cook, the White House nor the Federal Reserve Board returned HousingWire’s requests for comment at the time of publication.