In a move drawing intense legal and political scrutiny, former U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Commissioner Jocelyn Samuels has filed a lawsuit in D.C. federal court, claiming that the Trump administration illegally removed her from her position in a sweeping purge that gutted the commission’s leadership.
Samuels, whose term was set to extend into late 2026, says her abrupt firing in January violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The suit seeks reinstatement and asserts that the president overstepped legal bounds in ousting a Senate-confirmed commissioner before her term had expired.
“A Political Lightning Strike” That Shattered Structure
Samuels’ lawsuit, filed Wednesday, pulls no punches. She paints her firing—alongside the same-night dismissals of Charlotte Burrows as EEOC Chair and Karla Gilbride as General Counsel—as an unprecedented act of political overreach. The commission, designed as a five-member body, was left with just two members, including acting Chair Andrea Lucas, and no quorum to operate effectively.
“This wasn’t just a routine shake-up—it was a political lightning strike that vaporized the commission’s stability,” said Samuels in a statement accompanying her complaint.
