A member of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) stepped down last week, leaving the board with only a narrow quorum to act as its case load quickly mounts following the Trump administration’s moves to quickly reduce the Federal workforce.
Raymond Limon, who was nominated to the board by former President Joe Biden in 2021 and later unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2022, retired on February 28 according to an announcement from MSPB.
Limon was recently removed from his position of vice chair on the board after the Trump administration attempted to demote and then later fired MSPB Chair Cathy Harris. A Federal court judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from removing and demoting Harris while the judge considers her lawsuit which alleged that her firing was unlawful.
The MSPB is an independent, quasi-judicial agency within the executive branch that protects against prohibited personnel and partisan political practices. The board consists of three members and hears appeals from Federal employees when they are fired or disciplined.
“Ray Limon is the consummate civil servant, with a heart of gold,” said Harris in a statement. “We were so lucky to have his expertise, compassion, and good cheer at the Board, his latest stop in a long and distinguished career in the Federal government.”
“He arrived in 2022 when, after five years without a quorum, the Board confronted a massive inherited inventory of 3,800 pending appeals. Ray was instrumental in the adjudication of virtually the entire backlog in less than three years,” she continued.
The MSPB has been a key resource for Federal workers following recent slashes in the Federal workforce and a factor in class lawsuits, including staying the firing of several Federal workers who were laid off during their probationary period by the Trump administration.
Some Federal judges have also referred lawsuits related to worker cuts to MSPB to review the firings before taking their suits to court.
Since Trump has taken office, the board has received more than 2,700 cases – a sharp uptick from its usual numbers, with 1,845 cases being filed the week of Feb. 16 alone, according to the board.
