A “who’s who” of former economic officials urged the Supreme Court on Thursday to let Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook remain in her job while the courts decide whether President Trump fired her lawfully.

Former Fed Chairmen Alan Greenspan, whose tenure spanned four administrations, and Ben Bernanke, who served under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, were among those who told the justices that removing Ms. Cook would erode trust in the Fed and its independence.

The signers said Congress intentionally set up the Fed as an independent body insulated from presidents who might put short-term gain ahead of long-term stability.

“Granting the government’s request to remove Governor Cook from the board immediately would upset these longstanding protections and the essential functions they serve. Doing so would expose the Federal Reserve to political influences, thereby eroding public confidence in the Fed’s independence and jeopardizing the credibility and efficacy of U.S. monetary policy,” they wrote in a friend-of-the-court brief.

President Biden appointed Ms. Cook to the central bank in 2023.

Mr. Trump sought to fire her in August on allegations that she committed mortgage fraud in 2021.

She allegedly got a $203,000 mortgage for a property in Michigan that she said was her “primary residence” but weeks later got another mortgage for $540,000 for a Georgia property that she listed as a primary residence.

Mr. Trump fired her, saying the allegations undermined her trustworthiness.

Ms. Cook’s lawyers say she never intended to commit fraud and pointed to a separate loan estimate document that refers to the Georgia property as a “vacation home.”

Democrats and other critics of the firing say Mr. Trump is trying to reshape the Fed because he wants steeper cuts to interest rates.

The Fed recently cut rates slightly, though Mr. Trump’s recent appointment to the Fed, Stephen Miran, is pushing for bigger cuts.

Ms. Cook’s removal and replacement would give the White House a Trump-appointed majority on the Fed board.

Ms. Cook is still working at the Fed while she sues Mr. Trump over her firing.

A federal court allowed Ms. Cook to stay on the job while the suit is pending, and an appellate court upheld that decision, so Mr. Trump sought redress from the Supreme Court.

Former Treasury Secretaries Lawrence Summers, who served under President Bill Clinton, and Henry Paulson (Mr. Bush), Jacob Lew (Mr. Obama) and Janet Yellen — among others — signed the brief in support of Ms. Cook.

Maintaining Ms. Cook on the board while the case is pending, they wrote, “would serve the public’s interest by safeguarding the independence and stability of the system that governs monetary policy in this country.”

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.