Trump's firing of Fed Governor Cook could be blocked by US judge

(Reuters) -A federal judge on Friday will consider whether to block President Donald Trump temporarily from firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook while she pursues a lawsuit claiming Trump has no valid reason to remove her. The hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) before U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb in Washington, D.C., is the first step in what will likely be a protracted legal battle that could upend the U.S. central bank's historical independence and is likely to be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court. Cook sued Trump and the Fed on Thursday, saying the Republican president's unsubstantiated claim she engaged in mortgage fraud before taking office did not give him legal authority to remove her, and was a pretext to fire her for refusing to lower interest rates.