President Donald Trump posted a statement Sunday night calling on U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb to recuse herself from presiding over the lawsuit by Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Lisa Cook challenging Trump’s firing of her from the Fed last Monday over allegations of mortgage fraud.
Cook filed suit on Thursday. Cobb held a hearing Friday in D.C., but made no immediate ruling reported CNN (excerpt):
Cobb has asked for more written arguments to be submitted to her by next Tuesday. It’s possible she rules after then, or takes additional time to sift through how to best proceed with the case. Her options include setting it on an expedited track for a prompt resolution of Cook’s underlying claims.
Though Cobb, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, held off for now on making an initial ruling in the case, she also made clear that she wasn’t prepared to fully buy into arguments pushed by either Cook or Trump.
The judge pushed back on a suggestion by Justice Department attorney Yaakov Roth that federal courts have no authority to second-guess a decision by a president to fire a member of the Federal Reserve “for cause.” But even with that judicial power, Cobb said, there still may be some level of deference by a court to the president’s decision-making.
Trump posted a copy of a statement issued Thursday by the Delta Sigma Theta sorority–that both Cobb and Cook belong to–that expresses support for Cook, “This is a total Conflict of Interest. The Judge must RECUSE IMMEDIATELY!!! President DJT.”
Hellbound and Down 