A retired lawyer has taken legal action to stop the U.S. Mint from producing a Trump coin. James Rickher, 56, of Portland, filed a federal lawsuit on March 24 after seeing news reports about the 24-karat gold coin, which is set for release on July 4, 2026, for America’s 250th anniversary.
Rickher argues the coin breaks an 1866 federal law that prohibits living people from appearing on U.S. currency. The law was created after Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase placed his own image on money during the Civil War, prompting Congress to ban the practice. The only exception came in 1926, when Calvin Coolidge appeared on coins, a move so controversial most of them were later pulled from circulation.
The Trump administration says the Treasury Secretary has the authority to approve designs, but Rickher says the statute cannot be ignored. "This is not about personal opinion. It is against the law," he said. He prepared and filed the lawsuit over a single weekend. A judge will hear the case soon, and if the request is denied, the coin’s production will begin immediately.
Rickher argues the coin breaks an 1866 federal law that prohibits living people from appearing on U.S. currency. The law was created after Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase placed his own image on money during the Civil War, prompting Congress to ban the practice. The only exception came in 1926, when Calvin Coolidge appeared on coins, a move so controversial most of them were later pulled from circulation.
The Trump administration says the Treasury Secretary has the authority to approve designs, but Rickher says the statute cannot be ignored. "This is not about personal opinion. It is against the law," he said. He prepared and filed the lawsuit over a single weekend. A judge will hear the case soon, and if the request is denied, the coin’s production will begin immediately.
A retired lawyer has taken legal action to stop the U.S. Mint from producing a Trump coin. James Rickher, 56, of Portland, filed a federal lawsuit on March 24 after seeing news reports about the 24-karat gold coin, which is set for release on July 4, 2026, for America’s 250th anniversary.
Rickher argues the coin breaks an 1866 federal law that prohibits living people from appearing on U.S. currency. The law was created after Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase placed his own image on money during the Civil War, prompting Congress to ban the practice. The only exception came in 1926, when Calvin Coolidge appeared on coins, a move so controversial most of them were later pulled from circulation.
The Trump administration says the Treasury Secretary has the authority to approve designs, but Rickher says the statute cannot be ignored. "This is not about personal opinion. It is against the law," he said. He prepared and filed the lawsuit over a single weekend. A judge will hear the case soon, and if the request is denied, the coin’s production will begin immediately.
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