Lisa Cook fired back on Tuesday at the Trump administration’s claims that the president has vast powers to oust members of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, as her lawyers pressed for a swift resolution of the lawsuit over her dismissal.

In a filing in U.S. District Court in Washington, Ms. Cook’s legal team again urged a federal judge to rule that President Trump’s attempt to fire her late last month was unlawful and that she should stay on in her role as the case is litigated. They also explicitly defended Ms. Cook against the administration’s accusations that she falsified documents related to her personal mortgages, saying she “did not ever commit mortgage fraud.”

The Trump administration has argued that the president was well within his right to remove Ms. Cook “for cause,” which is generally understood to mean professional neglect or wrongdoing.

The Justice Department has also made the case that the president has sweeping authority to define what is and is not considered sufficient cause, an authority that Ms. Cook’s lawyers warned would effectively invalidate what is seen as a crucial guardrail protecting the Fed’s independence from political meddling.

“Contrary to the government’s arguments, the term ‘cause’ provides meaningful protection against removal — and courts must ensure that standard is followed when it comes to the ‘uniquely structured, quasi-private entity’ that is the Federal Reserve,” Ms. Cook’s lawyers wrote in Tuesday’s filing.

They have also argued that the activities in question took place before Ms. Cook joined the Fed in 2022. Her lawyers described the allegations as “unsubstantiated, untested and unaddressed.” Ms. Cook was subject to an intense vetting process after the Biden administration tapped her to join the Fed, and she had to be confirmed by the Senate before assuming her post.