The removal of the National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel had been expected. But the firing of a Democratic member stops it from protecting workers’ rights, for now.

President Donald Trump fired Jennifer Abruzzo, the National Labor Relations Board's general counsel, on Jan. 28. Abruzzo was a champion of the student-athlete labor movement, which gained significant traction under the Biden administration.

Democrat Gwynne Wilcox, whose term was supposed to run through August 2028, said her unprecedented firing violates Supreme Court precedent.