'This is huge': Judge guts Trump's ability to fire at will

By Bennito L. Kelty
Published July 17, 2026 8:14 PM ET

A judge dealt a setback to Trump's power by ruling his administration broke the law by firing a civil servant, per Politico.

According to reporting by Politico, a federal judge in Virginia ruled that the Trump administration violated federal law when it fired Mary Comans, the chief financial officer of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), without going through congressionally mandated steps.

"This is huge," said Mark Zaid, one of Comans' lawyers, according to Politico. "It's an incredibly significant victory."

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"For the last 140 years...the Supreme Court has affirmed the president does not have plenary power to remove inferior officers," Nachmanoff said from the bench, per Politico.

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-power-grab/