In a defiant stance against President Trump's move to oust National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member Gwynne Wilcox, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, alongside Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and a coalition of 21 attorneys general, have lodged an amicus brief, seeking to fortify the board's composition and preserve its quorum, as per a report by the Illinois Attorney General's office. Raoul and his peers are petitioning the court to reject the Trump administration's request for a stay that would delay Wilcox's legally supported reinstatement and further the appeal motion, a move that, if successful, would allow the dismissal to proceed despite a federal judge's previous invalidation.
The cross-state coalition argues that such an administrative stalemate would severely impair the NLRB's function in administering the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which empowers workers with the right to unionize, champion for improved wages, and participate in collective activities such as strikes; Raoul emphasized the consequential harm to both workers and employers if a stay is granted, with a potential ripple effect on the broader economic stage, "I am urging the court to let last week’s ruling go into effect and allow the NLRB to do its job," he articulated, according to a statement obtained from the Illinois Attorney General's website.
Prior incidents on January 27, 2025, had seen President Trump attempt to terminate Wilcox from the NLRB during her five-year term, a maneuver contested for not aligning with the legal requirements for removing board members, which are traditionally centered around instances of misconduct, as outlined in the Federal law. The overarching significance of the NLRB, the body responsible for labor dispute adjudications and union election certifications, is underscored by its role in uniformly implementing the NLRA nationwide.
From the standpoint of the public interest, the attorneys general's brief delineates that any disruption to the NLRB’s operations would deal a damaging blow to the public that relies on its governance for fair labor representation, noting, "Collective bargaining helps workers obtain better wages, benefits and working conditions," extending even to those in non-union jobs due to competitive labor markets while also fostering stability in labor-management relationships that serve to alleviate inequality. The unity front among attorneys general includes those from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, joining forces with Raoul and Ellison in the brief submission.
