Judge denies ex-Trump officials’ request

A federal judge blocked former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and ex-Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought from returning to the board of the U.S. Naval Academy while they sue President Joe Biden over their ouster from the panel.

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington denied the motion by Spicer and Vought for a preliminary injunction that would have forced Biden to return them to the board while the lawsuit proceeds. The former Trump administration officials sued in September after they were terminated.

In their complaint, Spicer and Vought argued Biden did not have the legal authority to remove them from the board, citing a provision for three-year terms set by Congress. The judge rejected that view.

Friedrich, a Trump appointee, rejected the claim that Biden’s removal of Spicer and Vought would “silence dissenting views” on the board, which advises the president on the “state of morale and discipline” at the Naval Academy, as well as its curriculum, physical equipment and fiscal affairs, according to an order filed on Saturday.

Their lawyer, Reed Darrow Rubinstein with America First Legal Foundation — a nonprofit set up by former Trump administration officials including Stephen Miller and Mark Meadows — didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.