Alvin Brown Was Fired in Early May for Unknown Reasons

Alvin Brown, former Jacksonville mayor, is suing President Donald Trump after being removed from his position as vice chair of the National Transportation Safety Board.

His dismissal had seemingly no reasoning to back it up, putting it in direct violation of the agency’s statutory protections.

“Defendant Trump’s illegal removal of Mr. Brown, as carried out by Defendants Homendy and NTSB, has significant and damaging consequences for the work of the Board and its investigation and reporting of major transportation accidents and casualties,” the filing stated.

Brown became Jacksonville’s first elected African American mayor in 2011 and served until 2015. He was then nominated for a position within the National Transportation Safety Board by then-President Joe Biden in August 2022. The nomination was confirmed on March 8, 2024, and he was raised to the position of NTSB Vice Chair on December 20.

Though his role was not set to expire until December 2026, the Trump administration removed Brown from office on May 5, 2025. No reason for his dismissal was provided, even despite the President’s legal requirement to only fire NTSB board members for “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” This regulation has been in place under the Independent Safety Board Act since 1974 to prevent partisan interference.

This clear violation of protections led Brown to file a lawsuit against President Trump on June 4. It claims that Brown’s unlawful dismissal jeopardized the NTSB’s “historic independence and interfered with its statutorily mandated duties to investigate and report on certain aircraft accidents, highway accidents, railroad accidents, marine casualties, and transportation accidents that are catastrophic or recurring.”

The suit asks the US District Court for the District of Columbia to confirm that Brown’s removal was unlawful and restore his capabilities as an NTSB member.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov