Overview

• U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton declared President Trump's January 2025 dismissal of two Democratic members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) unlawful and void.
• The ruling reinstates former board members Travis LeBlanc and Edward Felten, allowing them to serve until their terms expire unless the decision is overturned on appeal.
• Trump’s removal of three Democratic members earlier this year left the board without a quorum, halting its ability to conduct oversight of U.S. counterterrorism policies.
• Judge Walton emphasized that PCLOB’s mandate to ensure counterterrorism policies respect civil liberties is incompatible with at-will presidential removal of its members.
• The case is part of broader legal challenges to executive removal powers, with similar disputes involving other independent agencies potentially heading to the Supreme Court.