Trump Sparks Legal Firestorm with Unprecedented Firing of EEOC Commissioners

Legal experts are raising alarms over President Donald Trump’s latest move to remove two Democratic members from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), calling it an unprecedented and potentially illegal action.

On Tuesday, Trump ousted Commissioners Jocelyn Samuels and Charlotte Burrows from the five-member civil rights panel, opening the seats for his administration to fill. The decision follows similar efforts by the president to reshape the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the agency responsible for overseeing workplace union disputes.

Both Burrows and Samuels confirmed their firings in public statements, with Burrows condemning the move as unlawful. “I am proud of the work my colleagues and I have done to help remove barriers for equal opportunity for all workers and to promote fair and nondiscriminatory workplaces,” Burrows stated.

“While I strongly disagree with the President’s actions, and will explore all legal options available to me, I will continue to do all I can to fight for the rights of American workers and to support the efforts of others who do the same.” She described the firing as “unprecedented” and argued that it “violates the law.”

Samuels echoed her colleague’s sentiments, saying, “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as an EEOC Commissioner, and I deeply regret this Administration’s short-sighted and unprecedented decision to remove me from a position to which I remain committed. I am considering my legal options and will continue to advocate strenuously for the civil rights of all workers.”

Legal experts and advocacy groups quickly condemned the decision. Burrows’ attorneys pointed out that Trump removed her nearly three and a half years before her term was set to expire, calling it “just the latest political attack” in what they described as an ongoing effort to “strip-mine the federal government.”

The attorneys further argued that the move would “significantly weaken” the EEOC’s ability to function, undermining civil rights protections for American workers. On social media, legal professionals expressed outrage at what they viewed as a blatant violation of federal law.

“Trump is breaking the law to fire those officials charged with enforcing fair employment laws on behalf of the American people. That’s insane,” civil rights lawyer Leslie Proll wrote on X. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, added, “Dozens of unlawful firings so far in the last week, all in clear violation of federal law.”

Labor attorney Jesse Tripathi questioned the legality of the process, writing, “Am I missing something, or is it really weird that everyone is just accepting that an email from the White House means an EEOC commissioner or an NLRB member is ‘fired’? They have statutory protection!”

Alex Bradley, a spokesperson for the commissioners’ attorneys, described the firings as an “attack on the EEOC and the idea that people should have civil rights in their workplace.” “With everything else happening today, this is another unbelievable move,” he wrote on X.

The controversy over the firings is expected to escalate as legal experts and advocates explore potential challenges to Trump’s decision, raising concerns about the future of workplace protections under his administration.