WASHINGTON, D.C. | March 17, 2025 — On Monday, April 7th, a DC Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit issued an injunction in a 7-4 decision, reinstating Cathy Harris to her position as a Chairwoman of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), along with Gwynne Wilcox to her position at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
Today’s decision is the latest in a lengthy legal battle to fight President Trump’s removal of Harris and Wilcox, which supporters say violated their for-cause removal protections. Harris and Wilcox’s reinstatement has restored a quorum at the two agencies, enabling them to continue their duty to protect federal employees.
Stephen M. Kohn, Chairman of the Board of National Whistleblower Center and leading whistleblower attorney at Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto stated: “The DC Circuit has followed the law and prevented the President of the United States from undermining the entire civil service. If the president’s decision to terminate Cathy Harris was upheld, the MSPB would have lost its quorum and would have been unable to issue relief to the millions of civil servants protected under civil law. Every federal employee would have been at risk of being illegally fired with no effective recourse if President Trump delayed or failed to nominate a successor and the US Senate delayed or failed to approve the nomination. The MSPB has exclusive jurisdiction over the majority of civil servants. Whistleblowers would be most at risk. Whistleblowers and anyone who dared to blow the whistle would be at risk for summary and illegal discharge.”
For more information, please contact National Whistleblower Center at programs@whistleblowers.org.
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NWC is the leading nonprofit working with whistleblowers worldwide to fight corruption and protect people and the environment. For over 30 years, NWC has won policies to protect whistleblowers from retaliation and reward them for helping deliver criminal and civil penalties against wrongdoers. It is a trusted advocate for whistleblowers and a key player in the fight for government accountability and transparency.
