Trump administration to ask Supreme Court to keep fired government watchdog off the job as case pends
NBC5 days ago
Trump Appeals to Supreme Court Over Watchdog Chief Firing
Above: Donald Trump leaves the Oval Office to board Marine One at the White House on Feb. 14, 2025. Image copyright: Andrew Harnik/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
US Pres. Donald Trump's Solicitor General, Sarah Harris, filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) Sunday to overturn a district court ruling that temporarily blocked Trump's firing of Hampton Dellinger, who leads the Office of Special Counsel (OSC).
The OSC, which is separate from Justice Department special counsels, is responsible for protecting federal whistleblowers and guarding the federal workforce from illegal personnel actions, including retaliation for whistleblowing.
Dellinger, a Biden appointee confirmed to a five-year term in 2024, was fired by the Trump administration through a two-sentence email on Feb. 7. He sued the president later, stating his office is "needed now more than ever."
The Spin
Republican narrative
The firing of the OSC's head aligns with a constitutional return to executive accountability. Article II vests all executive power in the president, who oversees all executive officers, including those in independent agencies. Recent court rulings emphasize this, questioning the constitutionality of removal protections. If the OSC's independence hampers presidential control, it undermines democratic accountability.
Democratic narrative
This case is about the separation of powers, which Trump is attempting to violate by sidestepping the will of Congress, which encoded federal employee protections for moments like these. Federal agencies, but especially OSC, must be free to work without fear of political retribution from the president. Protecting whistleblowers is a sacred duty that shouldn't be toyed with at will, so hopefully, SCOTUS will uphold this precedent.