Chair of the NLRB (2024-2025); fired by Trump without cause
Background
Gwynne A. Wilcox was appointed by President Biden to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and confirmed by the Senate. Federal statute permits removal only for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office. Donald Trump fired Wilcox in February 2025 without citing a permissible statutory cause. She challenged the firing in court alongside Cathy Harris of the MSPB. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 in December 2025 that both firings were lawful, finding that statutory removal protections are unconstitutional as applied to agency heads who wield substantial executive power. The firing left the NLRB without the quorum needed to issue decisions.
