The Supreme Court's power could slip even further should it not rein in Donald Trump now they have the chance, a political analyst has shared.
In a conversation hosted by the New York Times, Kate Shaw suggested the court could be in pole position to pull Trump back to a more grounded second term. Speaking to a panel of experts, Shaw outlined what the impact would be should Trump pull ahead of the Supreme Court when it comes to an attempted firing of Lisa Cook, a federal governor.
Shaw said, "It’s clear that in this case, a win for the president would be a loss for the Fed’s traditional independence, opening the door to political control — and political manipulation — of monetary policy, including interest rates. It would also further erode one key remaining check on presidential power.
"And just to spell that out: Occam’s razor would suggest that the justices don’t want to issue a ruling that would have catastrophic market consequences — and that, not principle, is why Trump is likely to lose this case.
"That said, a ruling against Trump won’t be meaningless. In a moment of vanishingly few entities that tell the president 'no,' it’s important when it happens. But depending on how the court writes the decision, it could give Trump a road map for firing Cook and anyone else on the Fed in a way no court will stop."
Fellow commentator Stephen Vladeck believes pushback from the Supreme Court would derail Trump's start to 2026. He said, "Well, just about any losses for Trump at the court would make 2026 look different.
"But yes, I agree that one of the big questions is whether Cook is an outlier or whether some of the concerns we heard from the justices (across the bench) reflects a growing skepticism of the administration’s legal positions writ large. I’m doubtful that it’s more skepticism."
While the president can use the "for cause" defense in removing Cook from her position in the Federal Reserve, the Supreme Court may rule the bar for dismissal was not met.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was appointed by Trump, said the firing would "weaken, if not shatter, the independence of the Federal Reserve."
