A federal judge ruled on Friday that President Donald Trump did not have the authority to fire lower-level federal employees, Politico reported.
It's one of several cases that were brought in reaction to the mass firings across the whole of the federal government. Two have already been decided by the U.S. Supreme Court at the U.S. official level. The high court ruled that Trump could not fire a Federal Reserve Governor, but he could fire a Federal Trade Commissioner.
The ruling on Friday blocked Trump from firing FEMA CFO Mary Comans without cause, whose lawsuit began in March 2025.
U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff rejected the administration's arguments that Article II gives Trump absolute power over executive branch officials.
Comans, the court said, had the right to a hearing or the right to be transferred to another job.
“For the last 140 years… the Supreme Court has affirmed the president does not have plenary power to remove inferior officers,” Nachmanoff, a Joe Biden-era appointee, said in a decision from the bench.
The judge said that the president was trying to supersede U.S. Supreme Court precedent, "including an 1886 ruling that upheld Congress’ authority to set rules for the removal of what the Constitution calls 'inferior' executive branch officials," said the Politico report.
“Judicial restraint requires that this court follow the law as it stands today,” Nachmanoff said.
Given the previous firing cases have gone to the Supreme Court, it's possible this case will also follow the same track.
At least one legal analyst agreed with the ruling and explained why, given the recent Supreme Court decision, this new ruling was the correct one.
