Former STB Chair Primus adds race discrimination to lawsuit against Trump

Former Surface Transportation Board Chairman Robert Primus has amended his pending lawsuit over his firing to add race discrimination to his claim challenging his removals by the Trump administration. 

Primus, who is Black, claims he was removed from the STB without cause and in a manner consistent with the administration’s broader pattern of targeting Black officials for removal, according to a Democracy Forward press release. Democracy Forward is one of Primus' legal representatives in the case. 

“These legal actions ensure that the full truth is before the court and that federal agencies remain protected from racial and political interference," Primus said.

National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Alvin Brown also is suing the Trump administration, claiming that it is engaged in a broader pattern of disproportionately removing Black leaders from independent multimember agencies. Brown, who is Black, has claimed that he was fired in May without cause. Like Primus, Brown also amended his pending lawsuit to add race discrimination to his claim.

Brown also is represented by Democracy Forward.

“The court documents we have filed [on Dec. 4] reveal a disturbing reality: the Trump-Vance administration has engaged in aggressive efforts to remove Black leaders,” said Democracy Forward President and CEO Skye Perryman. “Racial discrimination is wrong and has no place in independent agencies that exist to serve people of all races."