A federal judge has reinstated Hampton Dellinger as head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) after President Donald Trump attempted to fire him without cause.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson's ruling on February 13, blocks Trump's removal of Dellinger, arguing that Congress specifically protected the role from political influence, The Guardian reported.
Trump's effort to remove Dellinger is part of his broader push to replace career civil servants with political loyalists.
The Office of Special Counsel was created by Congress in 1978 to protect whistleblowers and enforce ethics laws, and its head cannot be fired by the president without cause. Despite this, Dellinger was dismissed via a one-sentence email last week, with no justification given.
Jackson's decision temporarily reinstates Dellinger until a court hearing on February 26. In her ruling, she cited Congress' intent to keep the OSC independent from political interference, directly contradicting Trump's claim to be fighting corruption.
Meanwhile, eight inspectors general who were also fired by Trump have sued for reinstatement, and legal challenges have been filed against Trump's recent dismissal of David Huitema, head of the Office of Government Ethics, and Gwynne Wilcox, a National Labor Relations Board member.
The case could set a major legal precedent on whether a president can unilaterally fire the heads of independent agencies.
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