The plaintiff in this case, Cathy A. Harris, was a member of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), an independent government agency tasked with protecting civil servants against unfair and partisan political personnel practices. Harris had served on the Board since June 2022, with her term expiring on March 1, 2028. In a one-sentence email sent on February 11, 2025, President Trump removed Harris from her position on the board. Harris has sued the Trump administration, claiming that her termination violates statutory law, which states that a member of the MSPB may be removed by the President only in cases of "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office." Having received no proper accusation of inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance, Harris argues that the court ought to declare her termination unlawful and prevent the defendants from removing her from her office.
