A judge could save America’s financial watchdog

A federal judge seems likely to temporarily block the Trump administration from dismantling a major consumer protection agency, fearing a delay could leave nothing for the court to save. This week, DC District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson sat through what she called an “illuminating two days” of witness testimony on the future of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), including plans for a mass reduction-in-force (RIF) of nearly 1,200 employees. The testimony came from a top agency executive and two additional CFPB employees, representing opposing viewpoints. The government tried to demonstrate that early chaos at the bureau had settled into tentative stability — but Jackson was clearly dubious. “A lot of evidence has been introduced that supports a decision that the same people who were sitting in a room and talking about RIFing are still sitting in a room and talking about RIFing,” she said. Jackson has asked the government to extend an agreement to pause future ter ... Read full article.