Appeals court rejects Trump's bid to unseat Fed governor and Georgia native Lisa Cook ahead of rate vote

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve member Lisa Cook speaks during a conversation with leaders from organizations that include nonprofits, small businesses, manufacturing, supply chain management, the hospitality industry, and the housing and education sectors at the Federal Reserve building, Sept. 23, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — An appeals court ruled Monday that Georgia native Lisa Cook can remain a Federal Reserve governor, rebuffing President Donald Trump’s efforts to remove her just ahead of a key vote on interest rates.

The Trump administration is expected to quickly turn to the Supreme Court in a last-ditch bid to unseat Cook. The Fed’s next two-day meeting to consider its next interest rate move begins Tuesday morning. And Cook’s lawsuit seeking to permanently block her firing must still make its way through the courts.

The White House campaign to unseat Cook marks an unprecedented bid to reshape the Fed’s seven-member governing board, which was designed to be largely independent from day-to-day politics.