Supreme Court Refuses Trump Administration’s Request to Immediately Dismiss Watchdog Official
Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger claims that he can only be dismissed for misconduct, stating that his termination letter did not provide a reason for his firing.
On February 21, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to permit the Trump administration to immediately terminate Office of Special Counsel chief Hampton Dellinger.
This marks the first instance in which the Supreme Court has intervened regarding actions taken by the second Trump administration.
The Trump administration submitted an emergency request to the Supreme Court on February 16, seeking to overturn a federal district court’s temporary restraining order that prevented Dellinger’s termination.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, based in Washington, announced that a hearing will take place on February 26 regarding Dellinger’s request to elevate the temporary restraining order to a preliminary injunction.
The Supreme Court decided that the government’s plea to retract the block will be “held in abeyance,” meaning it will be postponed until February 26. More decisions may be made by the high court at that time.
The Trump administration contended that it had the right to fire Dellinger, despite him being confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
On February 16, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to permit the dismissal of the head of the agency responsible for protecting whistleblowers, after lower courts ruled against such an action.
Dellinger asserted that he could only be terminated for misconduct during his fixed-term appointment, noting that a brief email he received on February 7 simply stated he was being fired without any explanation.
It is common for new administrations to dismiss government officials without providing a reason.
This is an evolving story and will be updated.
