Howell’s order reinstates Gwynne Wilcox to the NLRB, which plays a major role in policing labor disputes across the country. Though presidents nominate — and the Senate confirms — members of the board, federal law restricts the ability to remove board members absent “neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.”

The judge, who reinstated Gwynne Wilcox to the National Labor Relations Board, said Trump's "power to remove federal officers and honest civil servants ... is not absolute."