Judge: Trump Can’t Fire Independent Watchdog

The Washington Post reports:

A federal judge on Saturday said President Donald Trump cannot summarily fire the head of an independent watchdog agency, setting up a likely Supreme Court battle over Trump’s sweeping attempt to reshape the federal workforce and expand presidential power.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s ruling blocks the removal of Hampton Dellinger as head of the Office of Special Counsel, which investigates whistleblower reports filed by government workers and protects federal employees from retaliation, political coercion and other practices that are barred in the federal workplace.

The Trump administration has indicated in court filings that it would swiftly appeal any such ruling to the Supreme Court, which on Feb. 21 declined to intervene until the litigation proceeded further.

Read the full article.

JUST IN: Judge Jackson rules that it is constitutional for the Office of Special Counsel to assert independence from the President. He has legitimate authority to act free of removal by the President without cause, she rules.

Next up, SCOTUS. https://t.co/SuqakAGgoU pic.twitter.com/K0C0umQpbj

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) March 2, 2025