Judge overturns firing of Democrats on intelligence and privacy oversight body
From http://govexec.com
A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the Trump administration’s firing of two Democrats who served on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board was illegal.
Judge Reggie B. Walton of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled the January terminations of Travis LeBlanc and Edward Felten were null and void. A third Democrat fired from the board at that time, Sharon Bradford Franklin, is not named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
The PCLOB serves as a watchdog for intelligence community infringements into Americans’ civil liberties.
Board members are granted six-year terms upon confirmation to the executive branch panel, although the law allows them to stay for up to a year after their terms expire. LeBlanc, in particular, was set to remain on until 2028.
While U.S. law doesn’t expressly block the president from firing members, the court said the oversight board’s design — as a nonpartisan, expert body — conflicts with the idea of at-will presidential removal.
More: https://www.govexec.com/oversight/2025/05/judge-overturns-firing-democrats-intelligence-and-privacy-oversight-body/405507/