The Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates unchanged Wednesday as policymakers meet to assess the state of inflation and the labor market.

Ordinarily, a decision to hold rates steady would bring little suspense. This time, however, the meeting unfolds amid extraordinary political and legal pressure on the central bank and its chairman, Jerome Powell.

Powell and the Fed are facing a criminal investigation initiated by Jeanine Pirro, a close ally of President Donald Trump who now serves as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Powell has accused the White House of using the probe as a pretext to pressure him and the Fed into delivering the interest rate cuts Trump has repeatedly demanded.

At the same time, the future of the Fed’s independence is under scrutiny at the U.S. Supreme Court. Justices are considering whether Trump overstepped his authority when he sought to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook last summer, a case that could redefine presidential power over the central bank.

As Powell resists the administration’s multi-pronged pressure campaign, Trump is already preparing for a potential leadership change at the Fed. Powell’s term as chair ends in May, and Trump has said he has narrowed his shortlist of possible successors to just a few candidates.

So while the outlook for interest rates appears stable, the political stakes surrounding this week’s Fed meeting are anything but.