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DC Circuit Court of Appeals Issues Injunction Reinstating Cathy Harris

A DC Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated two federal officials to their positions, restoring essential agency quorums and protecting civil servants’ removal protections against presidential overreach.

by Jeana Lee
The E. Barrett Prettyman United States Court House in Washington, D.C., home to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA/FISC).

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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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