Judge rules in favor of Trump over fate of consumer watchdog

WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge ruled in favor of President Trump on Tuesday in his effort to appoint an acting head of the nation's top financial watchdog agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

In a ruling from the bench, Judge Timothy Kelly declined to stop on an emergency basis the president from putting in place Mick Mulvaney, currently the White House's budget director, as the acting director of the CFPB. In doing so, Kelly ruled against Leandra English, the CFPB's deputy director, who had requested an emergency restraining order to stop Mulvaney from becoming the acting director.

The leadership of the bureau had been thrown into chaos over the weekend after its permanent director, Richard Cordray, resigned and appointed English as his successor. Both Mulvaney and English claimed to be the rightful acting director, with each citing different federal laws.

"The Administration applauds the Court's decision, which provides further support for the President's rightful authority to designate Director Mulvaney as Acting Director of the CFPB," White House spokesman Raj Shah said in a statement.

Kelly was nominated by President Trump and was confirmed by the Senate just a couple months ago in September.

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Sweet reported from New York.