On February 24, 2026, the full United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (consisting of 11 judges sitting en banc) heard oral argument in National Treasury Employees Union v. Vought (No. 25-5091), a case that could prove pivotal not only for the workforce of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) but also for the scope of presidential authority over independent agencies more broadly.
The central issues are clear: can the Executive Branch, through operational directives and workforce reductions, effectively disable a congressionally created agency without repealing or amending the statute that created it? If not, what is the appropriate remedy when the appeal is of an interlocutory preliminary injunction issued by the Federal District Court?
Background
The litigation arises from actions taken by Acting CFPB Director Russell Vought in early 2025 that halted much of the Bureau’s activity and set in motion substantial reductions in force. The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), representing CFPB employees, challenged those actions, arguing that they amounted to a de facto dismantling of the agency in contravention of Congress’s mandate in the Dodd-Frank Act.
The district court entered a preliminary injunction blocking broad layoffs. A divided three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit later vacated that injunction, reasoning in part that the plaintiffs had not identified a reviewable “final agency action” and that employment disputes should proceed...
Kenneth Scott Miller, 48, is charged with a felony count of making a false report to law enforcement. He was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $500 bond. According to an Escambia County ...