A Biden-appointed judge ruled Trump unlawfully fired three CPSC commissioners, reigniting debate over agency independence.

Federal Court Rejects Trump’s Consumer Safety Firings

A federal judge in Maryland on Friday blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to remove three Democratic commissioners from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), ordering their immediate reinstatement. The ruling adds a new chapter to ongoing legal disputes over the limits of presidential power regarding independent federal agencies.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox, appointed by President Joe Biden, sided with commissioners Mary Boyle, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, and Richard Trumka Jr., concluding that their dismissals were unlawful. Maddox’s opinion emphasized that the structure and statutory protections of the five-member, staggered-term CPSC board do not violate Trump’s executive authority under Article II of the Constitution.

The decision comes shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily upheld Trump’s removal of appointees from other federal agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). In those cases, the Court voted 6-3 to permit the terminations while lower courts continued to review their legality.

However, Judge Maddox distinguished the CPSC case from those precedents, noting that the Trump administration had failed to cite any evidence of misconduct, neglect, or malfeasance — which federal law requires to justify removing Senate-confirmed commissioners from the CPSC. “The Court finds no constitutional defect in the statutory restriction on Plaintiffs’ removal and that Plaintiffs’ purported removal from office was unlawful,” Maddox wrote.

The ruling directs the reinstatement of all three commissioners and denies the Trump administration’s motion to uphold the terminations. Maddox granted declaratory and injunctive relief, ensuring the commissioners can resume their official duties unless an appellate court reverses the decision.

Legal Tensions Over Independent Agency Oversight

The case marks the latest in a broader legal struggle over presidential authority to remove officials from independent regulatory agencies. At the heart of these disputes is the 1935 Supreme Court precedent Humphrey’s Executor, which restricts a president’s ability to fire members of such agencies without cause.

Judge Maddox acknowledged the procedural uncertainty in related cases, where removed commissioners had been temporarily reinstated only to face later reversals. He cited that history as justification for granting permanent injunctive relief. “Disruption might have resulted in the instant case if Plaintiffs had been reinstated while this case was in its preliminary posture,” he noted. “The risk of such disruption is no longer a factor now that the Court is granting permanent injunctive relief.”

The ruling ensures the three Democrats will resume their positions on the CPSC board, at least until the Trump administration seeks a higher court’s intervention. It also sets the stage for renewed legal scrutiny of executive authority and its intersection with longstanding protections for agency independence.