Railroad, airline labor mediator fired by Trump drops legal fight

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The Supreme Court’s blockbuster decision expanding President Trump’s firing power has reached another agency: one that works out labor disputes in the airline and railroad industries.

Deirdre Hamilton, a Democratic appointee to the National Mediation Board who had been contesting her firing, has now dismissed her legal challenge. A judge on Thursday ordered the case be closed.

“It was an honor and a privilege to serve on the National Mediation Board, and I would have gladly served for many more years,” Hamilton told The Hill in an email.

“The Supreme Court’s analysis in Trump v. Slaughter, which overturned a ninety-one year precedent, undermines both Congress’s authority to create independent expert agencies to serve the American people and the independence of those agencies,” she continued.

That 1935 precedent had upheld removal protections at the Federal Trade Commission. It laid the groundwork over decades for Congress to insulate certain other agencies with a degree of independence from the White House.

In a 6-3 decision last month, the high court’s conservative majority ruled that those firing protections violate the separation of powers, agreeing with Trump that he has broader constitutional authority to remove more officials within the executive branch at will.

“Unfortunately, this decision leaves me without a viable path forward to continue contesting my termination,” Hamilton said.

She served on the National Mediation Board, which is tasked with minimizing work stoppages at railroads and airlines. It plays a key role in labor clashes in those industries.

Last October, Trump terminated Hamilton in a one-sentence email sent through an aide, court documents show.

“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the National Mediation Board is terminated, effective immediately,” the email read.

It was one of many similar firing notices the White House sent to independent agency leaders across the government, sparking a wave of litigation that ultimately prompted the Supreme Court to get involved.

Hamilton’s lawsuit had remained in early stages as the justices mulled the issue. In March, she took a job as a lawyer at Association of Flight Attendants, where she worked previously, according to her LinkedIn.

She joins other officials like former Equal Employment Opportunity Commission member Jocelyn Samuels, who similarly dropped her lawsuit after the high court’s ruling.

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