Trump Renews Push to Remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook Despite Earlier Supreme Court Setback

President Donald Trump is reviving his effort to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, weeks after the Supreme Court blocked his earlier attempt, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters.

White House Demands Response Within Weeks

The White House sent Cook a letter this week stating the president was considering removing her, giving her three weeks to respond to unproven mortgage fraud allegations. Cook’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, called the allegations baseless and said there is no valid cause for her removal, adding they will challenge the latest effort. The letter alleged conduct potentially punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

Second Blocked Effort Revisited This Week

This marks the second Supreme Court blocked action Trump has restarted this week, following a renewed attempt to limit birthright citizenship. Trump previously cited mortgage fraud last year in trying to fire Cook, the first Black woman to serve as a Fed governor, though she has denied the allegations as pretextual.

Supreme Court Previously Sided With Cook

In June, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against Trump’s removal attempt, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing that Cook wasn’t afforded proper procedural protections. The ruling didn’t resolve the underlying factual dispute and returned the case to lower courts. Wharton professor Peter Conti-Brown said the ruling’s procedural basis effectively invited further presidential pressure, calling the motivation behind the effort clearly pretextual.