Alvin Brown, appointed as Vice Chair to the National Transportation Safety Board by President Biden in 2022 and confirmed by the Senate in 2023, filed suit against President Trump, National Transportation Safety Board, and its Secretary. Brown is contesting his removal from the board. Members of the board are appointed for five-year terms and can only be removed by the President for "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office." Brown's termination was announced via a brief email from the Deputy Director of Presidential Personnel of the White House, effective immediately and without stated grounds. The plaintiff alleges that his termination was ultra vires, violating the Independent Safety Act of 1974. He seeks a court declaration that his removal was unlawful, an injunction preventing the board from denying him office access or treating him as removed, and a writ of mandamus directing the board to provide him with necessary access to government facilities and equipment.
