A federal appeals court on Friday let President Donald Trump remove for now the chair of a critical “merit board” that reviews federal firings, and a member of the National Labor Relations Board, handing him a major win in his efforts to control independent federal agencies and potentially hobbling both agencies by depriving them of a quorum.

Appeals court has paused a lower court ruling blocking the firing one-third of MSPB's central board, creating a crisis for the agency.