10 hours Ago By Anna Carlson
The Supreme Court managed to keep the lead role of a key federal agency despite President Donald Trump's request to remove its leader. This marked the Trump administration's first appeal to the high court amidst its ongoing legal battles. The justices issued an unsigned order stating that Hampton Dellinger, head of the Office of Special Counsel, which safeguards government whistleblowers , could retain his position at least until the following week.
"I am glad to be able to continue my work as an independent government watchdog and whistleblower advocate. I am grateful to the judges and justices who have concluded that I should be allowed to remain on the job while the courts decide whether my office can retain a measure of independence from direct partisan and political control," Dellinger expressed in a statement. Judge blocks Trump's executive order to end federal funding to DEI programs Trump dismisses history-making Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen.
CQ Brown Two liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, put forward their dissent and said they would not have entertained the Trump administration's request. However, Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris argued in court documents that the lower court had overstepped "a constitutional red line" by preventing Dellinger's dismissal and hindering Trump "from shaping the agenda of an executive-branch agency in the new administration's critical first days." Harris urged the court to use this case as a precedent to rein in federal judges who "in the last few weeks alone have halted dozens of presidential actions (or even perceived actions)," infringing upon Trump's presidential powers.
Pentagon to fire 5,400 staff next week in Trump's mass federal workers purge Trump's Gaza 'Riviera' plan met with skepticism by MAGA supporters at CPAC The dispute began on Feb 7 when Trump gave Hampton Dellinger, chief of the Office of the Special Counsel, the boot. Joe Biden , during his presidency, had appointed Dellinger to the role in 2024 for a five-year stint. According to Congress' rules, he could only be sacked for "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.
" Republicans have been rallying behind the president, urging the nation's judiciary not to hinder Trump's plans. Vice President JD Vance earlier this month made it clear that "judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power." Trump, just last week, pledged to "abide by the courts.
" Yet, over the weekend, he took to his social media platform, Truth Social, with a bold statement: "He who saves his Country does not violate any Law," a saying often linked to Napoleon Bonaparte..
