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Lawyers for Cook, DOJ trade blows at high-stakes clash over Fed firing
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A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Friday grilled lawyers for the Justice Department and Lisa Cook over President Donald Trump’s historic attempt to fire her from the Federal Reserve.
The landmark case is almost certain to be kicked to the Supreme Court for review. Despite the high-stakes nature of the legal dispute, Friday’s hearing ended after more than two hours without clear resolution.
U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, a Biden appointee, declined to immediately grant the temporary restraining order sought by Lisa Cook’s attorneys, which would keep her in her role on the Fed’s Board of Governors for now.
Cook’s lawyers included the request for the temporary restraining order in the lawsuit filed in federal court on Thursday, challenging Trump’s attempt to fire her from her position on the independent board due to allegations of mortgage fraud.
APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP FROM FIRING FEDERAL BOARD MEMBERS, TEES UP SUPREME COURT FIGHT
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office of the White House Aug. 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
Instead, Judge Cobb ordered both parties to submit any supplemental briefs to the court by Tuesday, shortly before she dismissed the lawyers for the long weekend.
Cobb noted the novelty of the case before her, which involves the first attempt by a sitting president to oust a Federal Reserve governor «for cause.»
The fraud allegations were first leveled by Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the federal agency that regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He accused Cook of claiming two primary residences in two separate states in 2021, with the goal of obtaining more favorable loan conditions.
Trump followed up by posting a letter on Truth Social earlier this week that he had determined «sufficient cause» to fire Cook, a dismissal he said was «effective immediately,» prompting her attorneys to file the emergency lawsuit.
The crux of Friday’s arguments centered on the definition of what «for cause» provisions must entail for removal from the board under the Federal Reserve Act, or FRA, a law designed to shield members from the political whims of the commander in chief or members of Congress.
The arguments also centered on Cook’s claims in her lawsuit that Trump’s attempt to fire her amounts to an illegal effort to remove her from the Fed well before her tenure is slated to end in January 2038 to install his own nominee.
Lawyers for Cook argued that her firing was merely a «pretext» for Trump to secure a majority on the Fed board, a contention that Cobb admitted made her «uncomfortable.»
They also attempted to poke holes in the mortgage fraud allegations, which they said were made on social media and «backfilled.»
The case «obviously raises important questions» about the Federal Reserve Board, Cobb said shortly before adjourning court.
She also noted that she had not yet made a determination about the alleged «irreparable harm,» prompting her to set the Tuesday filing deadline.
TRUMP SAYS HE’S ‘ALWAYS’ READY FOR LEGAL FIGHT AS OUSTED FED GOVERNOR PLANS LAWSUIT
President Donald Trump speaks to Fed Chair Jerome Powell during a tour of the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., July 24, 2025. (Daniel Torok/White House)
Cook’s attorneys argued Friday that Trump’s attempt to fire her violates her due process rights under the Fifth Amendment, as well as her statutory right to notice and a hearing under the Federal Reserve Act.
Her lawyer, Abbe Lowell, noted on several occasions that there was no «investigation or charge» from the administration prior to Trump’s abrupt announcement that he would fire Cook.
Lowell also vehemently disputed the Justice Department’s allegations that Cook had an «opportunity» to respond to the mortgage fraud accusations leveled by Bill Pulte, noting that they were made just 30 minutes before Trump called for Cook to be removed.
He told Cobb that it was the latest attempt by the Trump administration to «litigate by tweet.»
A LOOK AT THE UNFOLDING BATTLE BETWEEN TRUMP AND POWELL OVER FED POLICY
Abbe Lowell in 2024 arriving to the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building in Wilmington, Delaware. Lowell, Hunter Biden’s former lawyer, is now representing Lisa Cook in her court case centered on Trump’s attempt to fire her from her role on the Fed’s Board of Governors. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Lawyers for the Trump administration, for their part, argued that the president has broad latitude to determine the «for cause» provision.
Justice Department attorney Yakoov Roth told Cobb that the determination of when to invoke the provision should be left to the president, regardless of whether it is viewed by others as «pretextual.»
«That sounds to me like the epitome of a discretionary determination, and that is when the president’s power is at [its] apex,» Roth said.
DOJ lawyers also noted that Cook, to date, has not disputed any of the allegations in question and argued there is «nothing she has said» about the allegations that would cause her to not be fired.
«What if the stated cause is demonstrably false?» Cobb asked, going on to cite hypothetical concerns that a president could, theoretically, use allegations to stack federal boards with majorities.
As for the issue of «irreparable harm,» Justice Department attorneys argued that it would be more harmful for Cook to remain in office, arguing that the «harm of having someone in office who is wrongfully there … outweighs the harm of someone being wrongfully removed from office.»
TRUMP ASKS SCOTUS TO UPHOLD FREEZE ON BILLIONS IN USAID PAYMENTS
The E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Cook’s attorneys said Friday that in reviewing the lawsuit, the court need not itself establish a definition of what «cause» means under the Federal Reserve Act.
Instead, Lowell suggested, the court should instead work backwards to determine whether the accusations leveled by Pulte were in fact «backfilled» by Trump to form the basis of her removal.
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«It’s very difficult to come up with an 11-page definition of what it is,» Lowell said Friday of the «cause» definition, adding that it is far easier to come up with a one-page definition of «what it’s not.»
«Whatever it is, it’s not this,» Lowell said.
donald trump,politics,federal courts,supreme court,economic policy
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President Donald Trump announced a Department of Justice shakeup on Thursday, ousting Attorney General Pam Bondi and looking to name her permanent successor.
Trump tapped Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to fill the role in an acting capacity, but other names, like Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin’s, have swirled since the announcement of Bondi’s departure, which was first reported by Fox News Digital on Thursday.
Blanche, Trump’s former personal defense lawyer, could serve as acting attorney general for up to 210 days. Trump is staring down the possibility of Senate Republicans shrinking or losing their majority in the midterms, which could complicate the president’s ability to secure a nominee’s confirmation if he waits too long to replace an acting official.
KARL ROVE: TRUMP DROPPED BONDI, BUT THE REAL POLITICAL FIGHT IS JUST BEGINNING
Contenders for attorney general, one of the most prestigious and influential, yet least secure jobs in Washington, would also need to win over tough but critical votes from current senators.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., a member of the committee tasked with vetting attorneys general, ruled out anyone who defended the 2021 U.S. Capitol breach in a CNN interview Thursday.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
«The threshold for somebody following Pam Bondi ends the moment I hear they said one thing that excused the events of January the 6th,» Tillis said.
Bondi faced a series of public missteps during her time as AG. They involved her failure to tamp down bipartisan criticism about the DOJ’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking cases and her inability to find enough evidence to bring reliable criminal charges against politicians viewed as Trump’s political foes aside from former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who was indicted for mishandling classified documents.
Asked for comment about possible contenders to succeed Bondi, a White House spokesperson pointed to Trump’s Truth Social post from Thursday announcing Bondi’s exit and Blanche as her interim replacement.
Todd Blanche
Trump did not rush to tease a permanent replacement when he announced that Blanche would be filling in, leaving the incoming acting attorney general to effectively try out for the permanent role.
Blanche could persuade Trump to nominate him and the Senate to confirm him in the coming months, having both proven his loyalty to Trump while retaining traditional bona fides as a longtime lawyer in the Southern District of New York and in private practice. He left a prestigious New York law firm in 2023 to defend Trump against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and special counsel Jack Smith.
«Our Deputy Attorney General, and a very talented and respected Legal Mind, Todd Blanche, will step in to serve as Acting Attorney General,» Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday.
PAM BONDI FACES BIPARTISAN SUBPOENA OVER FRUSTRATION WITH DOJ’S RELEASE OF EPSTEIN FILES
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, joined by President Donald Trump, speaks at a news conference on recent Supreme Court rulings in the briefing room at the White House June 27, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Blanche’s direct involvement in those cases could present tricky conflicts of interest as the DOJ pursues investigations into the people involved with prosecuting Trump, and Democrats have made clear that Blanche is, in their view, a top culprit in the department’s handling of the Epstein files.
Lee Zeldin
Trump has spoken with Zeldin about potentially serving as attorney general, including this week, Fox News Digital reported Thursday.
One downside for the president, however, would be that Zeldin’s transition to attorney general would require two major confirmation hearings, one for Zeldin and one for a new EPA administrator. One source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that Zeldin was interested in the job.
Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., Trump’s nominee to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, speaks during his Senate Environment and Public Works confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill Jan. 16, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Harmeet Dhillon
A vocal contingent online has urged Trump to promote Dhillon from the head of the DOJ Civil Rights Division to attorney general.
«That’s up to the president,» Dhillon told Fox News Digital when asked about the prospect. «I’m flattered to be mentioned by many online, but it’s his choice, and I serve at his pleasure only.»
Harmeet K. Dhillon speaks at the IAC National Summit 2026 at The Diplomat Beach Resort Jan. 17, 2026, in Hollywood, Fla. (Noam Galai/Getty Images)
Several conservative influencers sang Dhillon’s praises on X upon Bondi’s firing. Scott Presler said she would be an «exceptional» attorney general. Mike Cernovich said Dhillon was «filing civil rights lawsuits on behalf of Trump supporters who were attacked by ANTIFA. In 2016. Who was around in 2016?»
Jeanine Pirro
Trump tapped Pirro, a close ally, to lead the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., the most high-profile of the 93 in the country.
A former Fox News host, judge and district attorney, Pirro has risen to the occasion, filling the jobs of ousted prosecutors and promoting her role in reducing violent crime in the nation’s capital.
Still, Pirro’s seen some hurdles, including failing to convince grand juries to indict six Democratic lawmakers and a man who stood accused of throwing a sandwich at an immigration officer. Pirro reduced the man’s charge, but a jury acquitted him.
Trump told New York Magazine Pirro was «fantastic» when asked if she would replace Bondi. Fox News Digital reached out to Pirro’s office for comment.
TRUMP CABINET SHAKEUP EXPANDS AFTER NOEM EXIT, BONDI FIRING — WHO’S UNDER PRESSURE NEXT?
Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, spoke during a news conference at the Department of Justice on Feb. 6, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Sen. Eric Schmitt
Schmitt, the former attorney general of Missouri, was on Trump’s first shortlist for attorney general and is now making the rounds as an option again.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., Feb. 9, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
As a state attorney general, Schmitt led high-profile litigation against the Biden administration, including a closely watched jawboning lawsuit challenging the federal government’s involvement in social media censorship. The Supreme Court sidestepped weighing in on the case, but last month Missouri and Louisiana notched a victory by reaching a settlement with several government agencies.
Fox News Digital reached out to Schmitt’s office for comment.
Unlikely contenders
Several conservative influencers also floated Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, as an option, but Lee poured cold water on the idea on Friday, saying on X, «I’m not going anywhere.»
Other long-shot options include Alina Habba, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Alina Habba speaks from a podium. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Habba promoted her tight relationship with Trump online on Friday, but one source said Habba was happy in her current role as a DOJ senior advisor, while another said she was not having active conversations about the job but had not been ruled out as a possibility.
DeSantis’ name made the rounds online, and the Florida governor, whose stardom rose during COVID-19 but faltered during his failed presidential run, remains constantly in touch with the White House. Fox News Digital reached out to his office.
Paxton is an unlikely choice, according to another source. The Texas attorney general, once impeached over bribery allegations but acquitted by the state Senate, has Republican enemies in the upper chamber who would be needed for votes come confirmation time.
Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on «Oversight of the Department of Justice» on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Feb. 11, 2026. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty )
Tom Fitton, president of the conservative Judicial Watch, told Fox News Digital the attorney general «need not be a lawyer.»
«I would support most anyone if there were a serious commitment to massive reform, transparency, etc.,» Fitton said. «The agency should be shrunk, transformed and defanged.»
Justice Connection, a group comprising many former DOJ employees who resigned or were fired under Trump, warned against a nominee who would mimic Bondi’s allegiance to Trump.
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«Replacing [Bondi] with a more competent attorney general who — like her — believes their sole client is the president and not the country may just make things worse,» Stacey Young, the group’s executive director, said in a statement.
Katelyn Caralle contributed to this report.
justice department, pam bondi, donald trump, politics
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Iran is ramping up the recruitment of children as young as the age of 12 into military-linked roles tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to new reports by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
The reports underscore mounting pressure inside Iran’s war effort. As U.S. and Israeli strikes intensify, rights groups and analysts say recruiting children points to manpower shortages and a growing reliance on paramilitary forces to hold the home front. It also escalates the human cost of the conflict, placing minors in direct danger while exposing Iran to potential war crimes liability.
Human Rights Watch said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has launched a campaign called «Homeland Defending Combatants for Iran,» lowering the minimum recruitment age to 12 and encouraging minors to sign up in mosques and through Basij, a volunteer paramilitary force under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The roles go beyond support tasks and include «operational patrols,» staffing checkpoints and intelligence activities, putting children directly in harm’s way as fighting intensifies across the country.
IRAN ARRESTS 97 PEOPLE IT ACCUSES OF BEING ‘SOLDIERS OF ISRAEL’ IN MASSIVE CRACKDOWN
Members of the Iranian revolutionary guard march during a parade. The IRGC is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department. A large part of its work is to covertly operate outside of Iran. (Reuters)
Amnesty International said the recruitment and deployment of children under 15 «constitutes a war crime,» and backed its findings with verified visual evidence and eyewitness accounts.
The organization analyzed 16 photos and videos published since Saturday, showing children carrying weapons, including AK-pattern rifles, and deployed alongside Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij forces at checkpoints, on patrols and during state-organized rallies in Iranian cities including Tehran, Mashhad and Kermanshah.
Amnesty also documented the fatal consequences. On Sunday, 11-year-old Alireza Jafari was killed at a checkpoint in Iran while accompanying his father, a Basij member, the group said. Authorities said he was killed «while serving» following an Israeli drone strike.
IRAN’S IDEOLOGICAL STATE: FAITH, FEAR AND FAVORS FUEL ITS VAST PROPAGANDA AND PATRONAGE NETWORK
Iranian soldiers take part in a military parade during a ceremony marking the country’s annual army day on April 17, 2024, in Tehran, Iran. (Getty Images)
According to Amnesty, the boy’s mother told the Iranian newspaper Hamshahri that her husband had reported a shortage of personnel at checkpoints and took their two sons with him. She said he told their son he «must get prepared for the days ahead,» adding that children as young as 15 and 16 are commonly involved in checkpoint duties.
Eyewitness accounts reviewed by Amnesty describe children visibly struggling to handle weapons. One person in Tehran wrote:
On March 25, «I saw a child at a checkpoint near our house … I think he was about 15… It seemed like he was struggling to breathe from the effort of lifting the gun.»
Another witness in Karaj, Iran, reported seeing a child «holding a Kalashnikov rifle,» while a third in Rasht said some appeared to be «13 years old at most,» warning they could «fire randomly.»
IRANIAN STUDENT WARNS ‘BARBARIC’ REGIME IS TAKING NATION ‘HOSTAGE,’ EXECUTING CIVILIANS TO END UNREST
Children wave Iranian flags during a ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, at the Azadi, Freedom, Square in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 11, 2019.
In one video cited by Amnesty, filmed March 30 in Mashhad, Iran, two children wearing Basij uniforms and balaclavas were seen carrying assault rifles while positioned on a moving vehicle during a state-organized rally, elevated above a cheering crowd.
The recruitment campaign itself has been promoted through official channels, including posters depicting children alongside armed adults under the slogan «Basij with people, for people,» accompanied by a quote attributed to Iran’s Supreme Leader calling for Basij forces to remain central to the revolution.
Iranian officials have defended the policy by pointing to what they describe as strong demand among teenagers.
In a televised interview with Iranian state media, IRGC official Rahim Nadali said the minimum age was set at 12 because «teenagers and the youth repeatedly have come and said that they want to take part.»
«There is no excuse for a military recruitment drive that targets children to sign up, much less 12-year-olds,» Human Rights Watch’s Bill Van Esveld said.
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Iranian schoolboys wear Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) military uniforms and shout anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans during a ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution at the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in southern Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 1, 2026 (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The reports come as the United Nations classifies the recruitment of children in armed conflict as a «grave violation,» with international law prohibiting the enlistment of children under 15 and setting 18 as the standard for participation in hostilities.
Both organizations called on Iranian authorities to immediately halt the recruitment of minors and release those already serving.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations declined Fox News Digital’s comment request.
war with iran, recruitment, iran, israel, military
INTERNACIONAL
Cruz Roja Salvadoreña reporta aumento de emergencias médicas y disminución de accidentes de tránsito
La Cruz Roja Salvadoreña ha registrado un aumento de emergencias médicas y una disminución de accidentes de tránsito durante el periodo vacacional de Semana Santa en comparación con 2025, según informaron sus representantes en entrevista con la radio universitaria YSUCA. La institución ha desplegado un amplio dispositivo de atención desde el pasado 27 de marzo, con equipos en carreteras, playas, lagos y otros puntos estratégicos del país.
De acuerdo con Luis Galdámez, socorrista de la Cruz Roja Salvadoreña, en los primeros días del operativo se contabilizaron 287 atenciones. De estas, 79 personas resultaron lesionadas; 16 accidentes de tránsito, 108 emergencias médicas, nueve rescates acuáticos, dos rescates urbanos, cuatro personas fallecidas y un incendio. La organización explicó que se han visto más casos de urgencias clínicas, como deshidrataciones, quemaduras solares y golpes de calor, mientras que los incidentes viales presentaron una leve reducción respecto al año anterior.
Según Galdámez, la disminución en accidentes de tránsito se atribuye a una mayor conciencia por parte de los conductores, quienes revisan mejor sus vehículos y toman precauciones antes de viajar. No obstante, las emergencias médicas han crecido, en particular por la exposición al sol y la sobreexigencia física en actividades recreativas.
El doctor Rudy Aldana, voluntario de la Cruz Roja Salvadoreña, detalló que las principales causas de atención sanitaria incluyen quemaduras solares, golpes de calor, intoxicaciones alimentarias y crisis relacionadas con enfermedades crónicas. Aldana recomendó el uso constante de bloqueador solar, evitar la exposición prolongada al sol, mantenerse hidratado y llevar siempre medicamentos personales, especialmente en el caso de personas con padecimientos como hipertensión, diabetes o asma.
Por su parte, Julio Pacheco, guardavida de la Cruz Roja Salvadoreña, señaló que los rescates acuáticos han registrado un ligero incremento en playas, ríos y lagos. El operativo de guardavidas se preparó desde inicios de año y fue reforzado con pruebas físicas específicas para asegurar la condición óptima del personal designado en los distintos cuerpos de agua. Pacheco hizo énfasis en la importancia de respetar las señales preventivas en las playas, especialmente los banderines de colores, que indican el nivel de riesgo en cada zona.
Entre las recomendaciones emitidas por los voceros de Cruz Roja Salvadoreña para la población que disfruta de las vacaciones destacan: no dejar a los niños sin supervisión en cuerpos de agua, escribirles un número de contacto en caso de extravío, portar ropa de colores llamativos o fluorescentes para facilitar su identificación y evitar clavados en lugares desconocidos o de profundidad incierta.
En cuanto a primeros auxilios, la organización subrayó la importancia de mantener la calma, utilizar barreras físicas como guantes o bolsas para evitar el contacto directo con fluidos, y consultar de inmediato a los servicios de emergencia ante quemaduras, convulsiones, crisis alérgicas o mordeduras de animales. Galdámez aclaró que todas las personas pueden recibir indicaciones telefónicas para atender situaciones críticas mientras llegan los equipos de socorro.
La Cruz Roja Salvadoreña también hizo un llamado a la población a revisar sus viviendas antes de salir de vacaciones, desconectar aparatos eléctricos innecesarios y no sobrecargar extensiones o regletas para prevenir incendios. Además, se instó a donar sangre, ya que durante el asueto las reservas del banco disminuyen por el incremento de la demanda y la reducción temporal de donaciones.
Para emergencias, la institución puso a disposición sus números telefónicos nacionales, para solicitar asistencia en todo el territorio, tanto en el área metropolitana como en el interior del país. Los voceros insistieron en que la prevención y la información adecuada pueden marcar la diferencia en la respuesta ante cualquier incidente durante la temporada vacacional.
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