John Fry is a student at Harvard Law School.
NLRB Member Gwynne Wilcox may be experiencing whiplash right now. President Trump attempted to terminate her shortly after his inauguration in January. On March 6, the District Court for the District of Columbia ordered that Wilcox could retake her seat. On March 28, a D.C. Circuit panel stayed the district court’s order, keeping Wilcox at home pending the case’s full consideration. On April 7, the full D.C. Circuit reversed the panel, handing Wilcox another victory. In a terse order, a majority of the circuit noted that the Supreme Court has declined to overrule Humphrey’s Executor and that lower courts must “leav[e] to the Supreme Court the prerogative of overruling its own decisions.”
The Court may be exercising that prerogative. On Wednesday afternoon, it stayed the D.C. Circuit’s decision, meaning that Wilcox is once again sidelined for the time being. The Court asked Wilcox to file a response by Tuesday, indicating that the current stay is likely to be a short-term measure while the Court decides how to proceed with the case. This approach is in keeping with what appears to be a broader attempt by the Court to avoid showdowns with the Trump administration, delaying controversial cases on technical grounds and sending them back to lower courts when possible. However, given the relative legal simplicity of Wilcox’s case, a full ruling from the Court could come soon.
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September 19
LIRR strike averted; DOJ sues RI over student loan repayment program; University of California employees sue Trump for financial coercion
September 18
Senate Democrats introduce a bill to nullify Trump’s executive orders ending collective bargaining rights for federal employees; the Massachusetts Teachers Association faces backlash; and Loyola Marymount University claims a religious exemption and stops recognizing its faculty union.
September 17
A union argues the NLRB's quorum rule is unconstitutional; the California Building Trades back a state housing law; and Missouri proposes raising the bar for citizen ballot initiatives
September 16
In today’s news and commentary, the NLRB sues New York, a flight attendant sues United, and the Third Circuit considers the employment status of Uber drivers The NLRB sued New York to block a new law that would grant the state authority over private-sector labor disputes. As reported on recently by Finlay, the law, which […]
September 15
Unemployment claims rise; a federal court hands victory to government employees union; and employers fire workers over social media posts.
September 14
Workers at Boeing reject the company’s third contract proposal; NLRB Acting General Counsel William Cohen plans to sue New York over the state’s trigger bill; Air Canada flight attendants reject a tentative contract.