Lawsuit sets stage for long legal battle over US consumer watchdog

Joshua Roberts | Reuters

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney arrives to speak to the media at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where he began work earlier in the day after being named acting director by U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington November 27, 2017.

Attorneys for Leandra English, the deputy director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), on Wednesday filed fresh paperwork challenging President Donald Trump and his pick to lead the consumer watchdog.

A judge rejected English’s emergency filing to install her as the agency’s leader, but Wednesday’s new filing sets the stage for her to continue the legal fight in higher courts.

Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s top budget official, is leading the CFPB on an interim basis and a federal court has endorsed his right to hold the position for now.

English has challenged Mulvaney’s right to lead the agency, citing her endorsement by former CFPB director Richard Cordray who stepped down two weeks ago.