Supreme Court rejects former FDIC member's claim for removal protections

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday refused to hear a challenge from a former Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation board member who said she was protected by “judge‑like” immunity after President Donald Trump removed her in 2020. The denial leaves in place a lower‑court ruling that the former director’s claim of statutory protection was unfounded.

Trump’s removal of the FDIC board member was part of a broader push to replace officials appointed by President Joe Biden with his own picks. The former director argued that, as an independent‑agency official, she could only be removed for cause and that the president’s action violated the agency’s statutory independence. A district court rejected that argument, and the appellate court affirmed, finding that the FDIC’s governing statute does not give board members the same removal protections as judges.

Legal analysts say the