The U.S. Supreme Court on the 29th (local time) handed down a series of unfavorable rulings for U.S. President Donald Trump. It refused to hear his appeal of a lower court ruling ordering him to pay $5 million (about 7.7 billion won) in a civil case over sexual assault and defamation, and it also put the brakes on an attempt to remove Federal Reserve (Fed) Governor Lisa Cook.
On the same day, the Supreme Court rejected Trump's request to review the judgment he lost in a civil suit with former fashion columnist E. Jean Carroll. The court gave no separate reason, and no dissent was made public.
As a result, the lower court ruling ordering Trump to pay $5 million to Carroll remains in place. In May 2023, in a civil trial at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, a jury ordered Trump to compensate Carroll.
Carroll filed suit claiming Trump sexually assaulted her in 1996 at the upscale Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan, New York. The jury did not recognize the sexual assault claim, but it did find Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Trump has denied the allegations.
Carroll also filed a separate defamation suit against Trump. In that case, in Jan. 2024, the court of first instance ordered Trump to pay $83.3 million (about 128.5 billion won), and the appellate court in September last year upheld the decision.
After the Supreme Court decision, Trump pushed back on his social media platform Truth Social, saying he had never met Carroll and framing the case as a political attack. He also said he would continue to fight the defamation claims.
The court the same day also ruled against Trump in connection with the attempt to remove Cook. In a 5-4 decision, the justices held that Cook can remain a Fed governor while she continues her lawsuit challenging the removal effort.
Cook is the first Black woman Fed governor appointed by former President Joe Biden. In Aug. last year, Trump notified Cook of her removal, citing allegations of false statements related to a mortgage loan. It was the first time a U.S. president had directly moved to remove a Fed governor.
The Supreme Court took issue with Trump attempting to remove Cook without prior notice and an opportunity to be heard. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, said, "Currency policy should not be subject to political interference."
However, the court did not rule on whether the grounds for Cook's removal presented by the Trump administration are actually valid. The decision addresses whether Cook can remain in office while the merits case contesting the legality of the removal proceeds.
The decision is seen as putting the brakes on Trump's attempt to assert control over the Fed. The Fed, the U.S. Central Bank that sets the benchmark interest rate and currency policy, has been regarded as fundamentally independent from politics.
However, the Supreme Court did not rule against Trump on every issue involving the removal of senior officials at independent agencies that day. In a separate case, the court recognized removal authority over Federal Trade Commission (FTC) senior officials, including Rebecca Slaughter. As a result, the Cook ruling is interpreted as treating the Fed differently from other independent agencies.