NIH reinstates Norton after nearly six months on leave

NIH lifted Norton's involuntary administrative leave and she returned to work on Monday, May 4, 2026, after nearly six months. Her attorneys welcomed the reinstatement but said it did not erase the harm to her or to other scientists, and that they would continue to seek a formal finding that the leave was unlawful. Her whistleblower complaint remained pending before the Office of Special Counsel.