The federal government argues ‘improper judicial interference’ prevented the August firing of Lisa Cook. A hearing is set for January.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 12 scheduled oral arguments for January 2026 in the case challenging President Donald Trump’s firing of Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook.
The hearing will take place on Jan. 21, the court said in a scheduling order.
Trump had filed an emergency application with the court on Sept. 18 seeking an order ousting Cook as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
In the application, Solicitor General D. John Sauer said lower courts had engaged in “improper judicial interference” by preventing the president from removing a member of the Federal Reserve Board for cause.
On Oct. 1, the nation’s highest court deferred its ruling on Trump’s request, and said it would hold a hearing on the application on an undetermined date in January.
Trump, who has been highly critical of Fed policies, alleges that Cook committed mortgage fraud related to two properties she purchased before joining the Fed.
The White House says the fraud allegations—which Cook denies—are serious enough that the president is allowed to fire Cook.
Trump fired Cook on Aug. 25, the first time a president has ever moved to end the tenure of a Fed board member, citing his authority under the Federal Reserve Act. He said in a letter posted online that he determined there was “sufficient reason to believe [she] may have made false statements on one or more mortgage documents.”
On Sept. 15, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2–1 to uphold a lower court’s preliminary injunction preventing Cook’s removal from the Fed board while pending litigation plays out.
Trump had appealed a preliminary injunction that U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb of the District of Columbia issued on Sept. 9.
The injunction, which remains in effect, blocked the president from removing Cook from office while the lawsuit over her termination continues.
Cook joined the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in January 2022 to fill an unexpired term after being nominated by President Joe Biden. She was reappointed in September 2023. Her current term is set to expire in January 2038.
