A U.S. judge has ruled that former President Donald Trump’s dismissal of the head of a federal watchdog agency was illegal. The case is seen as an early test of presidential authority and may ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington had previously allowed Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel, to remain in his position while the court reviewed the case. Dellinger oversees whistleblower protections for federal employees.
In her ruling on Saturday, Jackson stated that allowing Trump to remove Dellinger would grant the president “a constitutional license to bully officials in the executive branch into doing his will.”
The Justice Department swiftly appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
Dellinger, who was appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate for a five-year term, welcomed the ruling. In an email to Reuters, he said he was “grateful to see the court confirm the importance and legality of the job protections Congress afforded my position.” He also reaffirmed his commitment to protecting federal employees and whistleblowers from unlawful treatment.
The Trump administration’s lawyers had argued that preventing the president from removing Dellinger encroached on his authority over executive branch officials. However, Jackson rejected that claim, emphasizing that the Special Counsel’s role is to investigate misconduct against federal employees and ensure whistleblowers can act without fear of retaliation.
“It would be ironic, to say the least, and inimical to the ends furthered by the statute if the Special Counsel himself could be chilled in his work by fear of arbitrary or partisan removal,” Jackson wrote.
The Supreme Court had previously delayed ruling on the case, despite the Trump administration urging it to intervene. Trump has sought to reduce the independence of federal agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Federal Communications Commission. The outcome of Dellinger’s case could influence the limits of presidential power over such agencies.
Jackson clarified that her decision was “extremely narrow” and did not broadly limit Trump’s authority. “This is the only single-headed agency left for the courts to consider, and it is unlike any of them,” she stated.
The case gained further attention after Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris argued that Dellinger’s continued tenure was harming the Trump administration. She cited his role in blocking the dismissal of six probationary government employees earlier in the week.
The legal battle now moves to the appeals court, where the case will continue to test the boundaries of presidential power.
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