President Donald Trump has turned to the Supreme Court to remove Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel, after lower courts blocked his dismissal.
Dellinger was fired by the White House on February 7, but a district court ordered his reinstatement. The U.S. Court of Appeals later upheld this decision, prompting the administration to file an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court, calling it an “unprecedented assault on the separation of powers.” The appeal argued that no court had ever forced a president to retain an official against their will.
Trump, who began his second term last month, is pursuing a broad campaign to shrink the federal government, backed by his top donor, Elon Musk. However, his efforts have faced legal challenges, with courts issuing multiple orders blocking policies, including a $3 trillion freeze on federal grants and loans, cuts to the National Institutes of Health, and the transfer of transgender inmates to male prisons.
Trump has also clashed with the judiciary over the abolition of birthright citizenship, sending Venezuelan migrants to Guantanamo Bay, and placing USAID workers on leave. The Supreme Court’s response to his latest appeal remains uncertain.
