Washington, D.C. — Democracy Forward filed a legal brief today on behalf of Alvin Brown, former Vice-Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), in his ongoing lawsuit challenging his removal from the Board, asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to allow for a final ruling in his case.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Brown to serve on the NTSB until December 31, 2026. He was suddenly fired without cause on May 5, 2025, by President Trump, even though the statute governing the NTSB only allows removal of board members “for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” Brown was given no explanation and was immediately stripped of access to his office, equipment, and staff.

“Congress made the National Transportation Safety Board independent for a reason: to ensure that investigations into transportation disasters are driven by expertise and evidence,” said Elena Goldstein, Legal Director at Democracy Forward. “The termination of Rev. Brown and the undermining of the independence of this Board does nothing to keep people safer. At a time when transportation safety is top of mind, we should be strengthening, not weakening, the systems meant to protect all Americans.”

The NTSB is an independent agency designated by Congress to investigate transportation accidents and make safety recommendations objectively. The filing warns that allowing President Trump to remove NTSB members at will would undermine agency independence and public trust, especially following deadly incidents like the January 2025 crash over the Potomac River, where an Army helicopter collided with a commercial plane, killing 67 people.

Represented by Democracy Forward and Justice Legal Strategies, Brown is seeking a court order to allow him to return to work, arguing that his removal violates federal protections and undermines the NTSB’s independence.

Read the legal filing here, and the complaint here.

The case is Alvin Brown v. Trump et al. 

The legal team at Democracy Forward in this case includes Cynthia Liao, Elena Goldstein, and Victoria Nugent.

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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.