Amazon and SpaceX are seeking to hamstring the National Labor Relations Board, asking a court to declare its processes for upholding labor law unconstitutional. But judges on a three-person panel appeared skeptical when the companies presented their arguments Monday.

A ruling in favor of the companies could immensely diminish – or paralyze – the nearly century-old agency, which is tasked with enforcing labor laws and settling labor-related complaints workers

A panel of U.S. judges on Monday seemed likely to rule that Amazon.com and Elon Musk's SpaceX were too quick to bring their challenges to the National Labor Relations Board's structure to an appeals court.

The oral arguments represented the latest legal attack from corporations against the 89-year-old National Labor Relations Board, buoyed by the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling this year in SEC v. Jarkesy.

SpaceX and Amazon are asking the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to find the National Labor Relations Board unconstitutional. The federal agency is tasked with enforcing workers' right to organize.

The SpaceX lawsuit was filed against the NLRB in January after the agency accused the company of unlawfully firing eight employees who had cosigned an open letter in which they criticized Musk and had accused the company of creating the impression of surveillance at the company.

A U.S. labor board whose enforcement powers are being challenged in a series of lawsuits is set to defend itself from attacks by Amazon.com and Elon Musk's SpaceX in a conservative U.S. appeals court,

SpaceX and Amazon have initiated a bold legal challenge against the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), questioning its constitutionality and power.

Attorneys for Amazon and Elon Musk’s SpaceX argued in a federal appeals court Monday that the National Labor Relations Board’s structure is unconstitutional, advancing a legal fight that may last into the Trump administration where Musk is expected to oversee bureaucratic cost-cutting.