Washington, D.C. — Consumer Federation of America and other leading consumer protection advocates filed an amicus curiae brief in Boyle v. Trump, urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to protect the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) independence. This case challenges President Trump’s removal of three CPSC Commissioners without cause.

Congress created the CPSC in 1972 as an independent federal agency to combat dangerous products and prevent product-related deaths and injuries. After extensive study and debate, Congress specifically designed the CPSC as an independent agency to insulate it from political interference. To maintain the agency’s independent status, Congress determined that Commissioners can only be removed by the President “for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office but for no other cause.” Despite this protection, three Commissioners—Mary Boyle, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, and Richard Trumka, Jr.—were fired without cause before their terms expired.

“For over fifty years, CPSC has stood as a bulwark against dangerous products that injure and kill. The CPSC’s work has had an outsized impact on the safety of American children,” said Courtney Griffin, Director of Consumer Product Safety at Consumer Federation of America. “Speak with any parent who has lost a child—or any American who has been maimed—by a dangerous product, and they will tell you there is nothing political about product safety. CPSC must remain independent so that it can prioritize evidence-based safety over partisan loyalty. American families, especially American children, deserve nothing less than a strong, independent CPSC.”

The affected commissioners challenged their removal in federal court and were temporarily reinstated by the U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox on June 13, 2025. On July 1, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit denied the Administration’s request to stay the reinstatement order.  Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump Administration to proceed with the removal of the three commissioners while legal challenges continue.

The CPSC oversees the safety of thousands of consumer products, from children’s toys to household appliances. Since 1972, the agency has reduced child poisonings and crib deaths by nearly 80%. The CPSC has virtually eliminated deaths of children trapped in refrigerators—from 96 deaths between 1973-1984 to only two reported deaths in the last 25 years. CPSC actions have also contributed to a 43% decline in residential fires and a 47% decline in fire deaths from 1980 through 2018.