Legal Action

The plaintiff in this case, Susan Tsui Grundmann, was a member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), an independent agency that manages labor relations between the federal government and federal government employees. Grundmann served as a Member of the FLRA since May 12, 2022, with her term expiring on July 1, 2025. In a one-sentence email sent on February 10, 2025, President Trump removed Grundmann from her position on the FLRA. Grundmann sued the Trump administration, claiming her termination violated the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, which states that a member of the FLRA may be removed by the President “only upon notice and hearing” and only in cases of “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” Having received no proper accusation of inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance, Grundmann asked the court to declare her termination unlawful and prevent the defendants from removing her from her office.

On January 21, 2026, plaintiff filed a motion to dismiss both this case and her appeal as moot after her successor was confirmed by the U.S. Senate. On February 4, 2026, a circuit court granted plaintiff’s motion, and vacated and remanded the case with instructions to dismiss with prejudice.