Litigation

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will face an existential crisis in 2026 between the Trump administration's efforts to shut down the agency and the employee union and consumer advocates who want to stop them.

A group of 22 Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Russell Vought, the bureau and the Federal Reserve, arguing that the administration's position that the CFPB cannot be funded is wrong.

A federal appeals court agreed to have the full bench rehear arguments by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's union about whether the Trump administration planned to gut the agency through mass firings.

The Department of Justice wants Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to state if the central bank is profitable again and can, therefore, fund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

A federal court cannot modify a preliminary injunction to compel the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to request funding for the agency, the Department of Justice said.

Democratic senators are calling for Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott to compel the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to testify.

In oral arguments held Monday morning, a majority of Supreme Court justices seemed poised to overrule a 90-year-old precedent validating multimember independent commissions, but it remains uncertain what limits — if any — the court may impose on the president's removal powers.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's acting Director Russell Vought has an obligation to request funding for the agency, five former Federal Reserve officials said. Plus, three nonprofits sue Vought and the CFPB.

The Trump administration's decision not to seek funding for the CFPB and transferring remaining enforcement cases to the Department of Justice were cited as reasons for the resignation of Michael G. Salemi, who took over as CFPB enforcement chief earlier this year.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and its union filed legal briefs Friday after a district court judge asked if a preliminary injunction aimed at preventing a mass layoff is still in effect.

Now that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has refused to request funding from the Federal Reserve System, many experts see the case making its way to the Supreme Court.

The Natural Treasury Employees Union has asked a district court to clarify whether Russell Vought, the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has complied with a preliminary injunction.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said the new oath was necessary because prior leadership engaged in what it describes as "thuggery" during exams. Former CFPB officials rejected the agency's characterization of past actions.

The Department of Justice told a court that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau cannot legally request funding from the Federal Reserve System, arguing that the Fed has not turned a profit since 2022 and thus cannot fund the CFPB.

The Department of Justice has filed a motion opposing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employee union's appeal of an August D.C. Circuit ruling allowing the administration to fire up to 90% of the agency's workforce.

Retroactive interpretations have bedeviled mortgage servicers and the market for older loans. The industry will be watching other cases in New York closely now.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has announced job openings for attorney-advisors to represent the agency in defensive and appellate litigation.

Top Democratic lawmakers are asking the full appeals court to hear a case about the Trump administration's efforts to fire employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Legal experts say the Supreme Court's decision not to immediately rule on a request to remove Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook from office suggests that, whatever the court's views on independent agencies may be, it views the central bank differently.

The Supreme Court said Wednesday that it would defer President Donald Trump's request for a stay until after oral arguments scheduled for January 2026, allowing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to remain on the board at least until then.