Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has taken further legal action against President Donald Trump's attempt to remove Gwynne Wilcox from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). On March 12, 2025, Ellison co-led a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing a second amicus brief opposing the dismissal. The coalition argues that removing Wilcox would leave the board without a quorum, rendering it unable to function.
A federal judge previously ruled on March 6 that Trump's attempt to fire Wilcox was illegal. The court stated, “in the ninety years since the NLRB’s founding, the President has never removed a member of the Board. His attempt to do so here is blatantly illegal.” Despite this ruling, the Trump administration has requested a stay to delay its implementation while seeking an appeal.
Ellison and his colleagues are urging the court to deny this request for a stay. They contend that allowing Wilcox's removal would weaken worker protections and destabilize federal labor law. Ellison remarked, “Once again today, I’m leading a coalition of fellow attorneys general in standing up for the rule of law and standing up against Donald Trump’s attempt to gut protections for working people across the country.”
The NLRB plays a crucial role in enforcing the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which supports workers' rights to unionize and bargain collectively. It also adjudicates labor disputes and certifies union election results. The brief filed by Ellison's coalition emphasizes that halting NLRB operations could harm public interests reliant on these functions.
The coalition includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.