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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July 21
WNBA players stage protest; Minneapolis DFL Party endorses Omar Fateh.
July 20
A US District Court orders the Trump Administration to provide its plans for firing federal workers; the Massachusetts Legislature considers multiple labor bills; and waste-collection workers at Republic Services strike throughout the nation.
July 18
Trump names two NLRB nominees; Bernie Sanders introduces guaranteed universal pension plan legislation; the DOL ends its job training program for low-income seniors; and USCIS sunsets DALE.
July 17
EEOC resumes processing transgender workers' complaints; Senate questions Trump's NLRB General Counsel nominee; South Korean unions strike for reforms.
July 16
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lays off thousands of employees; attorneys for the Trump Administration argue against revealing plans to reduce the workforce of federal agencies; and the Fourth Circuit grants an emergency stay on the termination of TPS for thousands of Afghans.
July 15
The Department of Labor announces new guidance around Occupational Safety and Health Administration penalty and debt collection procedures; a Cornell University graduate student challenges graduate student employee-status under the National Labor Relations Act; the Supreme Court clears the way for the Trump administration to move forward with a significant staff reduction at the Department of Education.