THE Trump administration is seeking approval from the U.S. Supreme Court to proceed with the dismissal of the head of the federal agency responsible for protecting whistleblowers, according to documents obtained on Sunday.
This marks the administration's first appeal to the Supreme Court since US President Donald Trump took office. The emergency appeal signals the beginning of what is expected to be a series of legal challenges from the Trump administration aimed at overturning lower court decisions that have impeded its agenda during the president's second term.
The US Justice Department’s filing obtained by The Associated Press asks the conservative-majority court to lift a judge’s court order temporarily reinstating Hampton Dellinger as the leader of the Office of Special Counsel.
Dellinger has argued that the law says he can only be dismissed for problems with the performance of his job, none of which were cited in the email dismissing him.
The petition came hours after a divided appeals court panel refused on procedural grounds to lift the order, which was filed Wednesday and expires on Feb. 26.
The case is not expected to be docketed until after the Supreme Court returns from the Presidents Day holiday weekend. The justices would not act until Tuesday at the earliest.
It’s not clear what reception Trump will get from the conservative-dominated court that includes three justices he nominated in his first term.
The case began last week when Dellinger sued over his removal as head of the Office of Special Counsel, which is responsible for guarding the federal workforce from illegal personnel actions, such as retaliation for whistleblowing. He was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate to a five-year term in 2024.
Dellinger said the office’s work “needed now more than ever,” noting the “unprecedented” number of firings, without cause, of federal employees with civil service protections in recent weeks by the Trump administration. – February 17, 2025
