The Supreme Court was right to block Trump's removal of Fed Governor Lisa Cook — the Federal Reserve's independence isn't just legal tradition, it's economic necessity. Every living former Fed chair signed a brief backing Cook, citing research that independent central banks produce better outcomes. Letting any president stack the Fed with loyalists hands future administrations a weapon that will be used again and again.
Blocking Trump's removal of Cook is a procedural win, not a fix — the Fed's independence problem runs deeper than one governor's job security. Political pressure has already made Fed decisions illegible, since nobody can tell if rate choices reflect sound economics or institutional self-preservation. Congress created this ambiguity by leaving "for cause" undefined, and only Congress can close it.
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