Explosive Legal Showdown: Trump vs. the Federal Reserve at the Supreme Court

I never thought I'd be glued to my screen watching the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., turn into the hottest drama in town, but here we are, listeners, on this chilly January day in 2026. Just yesterday, on January 21st, the justices wrapped up their January argument session with Trump, President of the United States v. Cook, a case that's got everyone buzzing about whether President Donald Trump can fire Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook at will. Picture this: the marble halls of One First Street, packed with lawyers, clerks, and even a few Capitol Hill interns. Paul Clement, arguing for the Trump administration, tried to push that the president has broad firing powers over Fed officials, but the justices weren't buying it. Justice Neil Gorsuch cut him off mid-sentence, saying, "I asked you to put that aside for the moment," according to live coverage from SCOTUSblog. NPR reported the court seemed doubtful of Trump's claim to fire Fed governors by fiat, while Fox News noted the justices signaling skepticism. Newsweek even hinted the Supreme Court may be preparing to deal Trump a disappointing blow, and Politico said they cast doubt on his power without proper review. An extraordinary friend-of-the-court brief from every living former Fed chair, six former Treasury secretaries, and top officials from both parties warned that letting Trump oust Cook would wreck the Federal Reserve's independence and tank the credibility of America's monetary policy, as highlighted by The New York Times.

This isn't isolated—Trump's name is all over the docket. Earlier in the session, on January 12th, the court heard Trump v. Cook's opening arguments, listed right there in the Supreme Court's Monthly Argument Calendar for January 2026. SCOTUSblog's Nuts and Bolts series explained how January's the cutoff for cases to squeeze into this term's April arguments, starting April 20th at the Supreme Court Building, or they get bumped to October. Trump's push here echoes last term's Trump v. CASA, where the court expedited a birthright citizenship fight and ruled against nationwide injunctions on June 27th, 2025.

But the action's not just at the Supreme Court. Down in the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, January 23rd, Representative Steve Cohen from Tennessee grilled former Special Counsel Jack Smith during a hearing titled "Hearing Evidence of Donald Trump's Criminal Actions." Cohen pressed Smith on the evidence from federal grand jury indictments—Trump's alleged conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election and illegally retaining classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Smith stood firm, detailing Trump's witness intimidation attempts, and Cohen called him a great American we can all respect, as recounted in Cohen's e-newsletter. Meanwhile, Lawfare's Trump Administration Litigation Tracker notes a dismissal on January 14th in a case over Trump dismantling the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, ruled moot.

And get this—House Speaker Mike Johnson, during a Wednesday press conference covered by The Hill, backed impeaching two federal judges who've ruled against Trump: Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who blocked deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, and Judge Deborah Boardman of the Maryland District Court, criticized for her sentencing of Sophie Roske, charged as Nicholas Roske for plotting to kill Justice Brett Kavanaugh. California Republicans even filed an emergency application Tuesday against their state's 2026 election map for racial gerrymandering.

It's a whirlwind, listeners—Trump's second term, one year in as the ACLU marked on January 20th, is a battlefield of lawsuits from the Federal Reserve to election interference probes. The justices' private conference tomorrow, January 23rd—no, wait, reports say after the 22nd—could add more cases, with opinions possibly dropping February 20th.

Thanks for tuning in, listeners. Come back next week for more, and this has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out Quiet Please Dot A I.

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