Supreme Court blocks President Trump from firing Biden-appointed agency head

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday halted the Trump administration’s attempts to dismiss Hampton Dellinger, a Biden appointee, as the head of the Office of Special Counsel. This decision comes as President Trump seeks to reshape the federal government.

By preserving the deadline of February 26, the high court has granted Dellinger’s temporary reinstatement. The court will not take any further action until then.

The Trump administration had sought to overturn a lower court’s decision to reinstate Dellinger. A district court hearing is scheduled to determine whether to extend the pause on Dellinger’s firing.

Liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson voted to outright reject the administration’s request to approve the firing.

Conservative justices Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito dissented, arguing that the lower court had overstepped its authority and questioned whether courts have the power to reinstate someone the president has fired. While acknowledging that some officials appointed by the president have contested their removal, Gorsuch’s opinion stated that “those officials have generally sought remedies such as backpay rather than injunctive relief like reinstatement.”

This dispute over Dellinger marks the first legal challenge to reach the Supreme Court since several firings occurred during the Trump administration.

Dellinger, a government watchdog and whistleblower, sued the Trump administration in Washington, D.C., federal court after his February 7th firing.

In a statement released after Friday’s proceedings, Dellinger expressed his gratitude to the judges and justices who ruled in his favor, allowing him to continue his work while the courts determine whether his office can maintain its independence from direct partisan and political control.

Dellinger argued that his dismissal was illegal, as he can only be terminated for job-related performance issues, which were not mentioned in the email that led to his termination.

This lawsuit follows Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, where he issued a series of executive orders and directives that have since faced numerous legal challenges.

Since January 20, dozens of lawsuits have been filed against the administration’s actions, including the president’s birthright citizenship order, immigration policies, federal funding freezes, federal employee buyouts, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, and legal action against FBI and DOJ employees.