President Donald Trump Battles Supreme Court Over Whistleblower Watchdog

President Donald Trump’s administration fires off first big appeal.

He wants the Supreme Court to overturn a judge’s decision reinstating whistleblower watchdog Hampton Dellinger.

Dellinger was fired by the Trump Administration, who was appointed by Biden.

The judge ruled Dellinger’s removal violated a 1978 law protecting his independence.

But Trump’s team argues the order limits presidential power.

This will boomerang, like all attacks on Trump’s decisions have so far.

WHISTLEBLOWER APPEAL | The Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to permit the firing of the head of the federal agency dedicated to protecting whistleblowers: https://t.co/7TM0rGKE3y pic.twitter.com/1fKQ1NWgDv

— FOX SA (@KABBFOX29) February 17, 2025

Is President Trump allowed to do that?

It would seem he can.

He knows what he’s doing.

Can Trump fire bureaucrats like head of the Office of Special Counsel, Hampton Dellinger?

"In 1926, in Myers v. U.S., the Supreme Court recognized that since Article II makes the president the head of the executive branch, he has the unrestricted' power of 'removing executive… pic.twitter.com/Ecm4mxnF1X

— Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell (@TheElizMitchell) February 17, 2025

I have a feeling Dellinger isn’t getting his job back.

What a shame.

The Guardian reports:

Donald Trump’s administration has asked the supreme court to approve the firing of the head of a federal agency dedicated to protecting whistleblowers in the first appeal of Trump’s new term and a key test of his battle with the judicial branch.

Hampton Dellinger, the head of the office of the special counsel (OSC), is among the fired government watchdogs who have sued the Trump administration, arguing that their dismissals were illegal and that they should be reinstated.

The OSC is an independent federal agency that serves as “a secure channel for federal employees to blow the whistle by disclosing wrongdoing”.

It is also intended to enforce the Hatch Act, a 1939 law designed to ensure that government programs are carried out in a nonpartisan way, and to enforce a merit system by investigating and prosecuting racial discrimination, partisan political discrimination, nepotism and coerced political activity.

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Dellinger has said his office’s work was “needed now more than ever”, noting the “unprecedented” number of firings, in many cases without any specified cause, of federal employees with civil service protections in recent weeks by the Trump administration.

On Wednesday, the federal judge Amy Berman Jackson reinstated Dellinger to his position pending a 26 February court hearing, writing that the language of the 1978 law that created Dellinger’s position “expresses Congress’s clear intent to ensure the independence of the special counsel and insulate his work from being buffeted by the winds of political change”.

According to that law, the special counsel “may be removed by the president only for inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office”.

As the Trump administration implements sweeping firings throughout the federal government, Dellinger has argued that his dismissal, via a one-sentence email that did not specify the cause, was unlawful.

Now, the Trump justice department has petitioned the supreme court to undo Jackson’s order, arguing that allowing a judge to reinstate an agency head for two weeks, pending a 26 February hearing on the case, is an impermissible check on presidential power.

Jim Ferguson writes:

🚨 TRUMP TAKES ETHICS WATCHDOG FIGHT TO THE SUPREME COURT—EXECUTIVE POWER ON THE LINE! 🚨

🔴 The Biden-era deep state is fighting to keep control of federal oversight, and President Trump is NOT backing down.

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🔴 The administration is taking the battle over Hampton Dellinger, Biden’s appointee to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), to the highest court in the land.

🔴 A lower court ordered Dellinger’s reinstatement, refusing to recognize Trump’s authority to fire him—and now, the D.C. appeals panel has denied Trump’s request to overturn that ruling.

🔥 WHO REALLY RUNS THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH—THE PRESIDENT OR THE DEEP STATE? 🔥

📢 WHAT THIS MEANS:

⚠️ Trump’s ability to govern is under attack. If unelected officials can defy presidential authority, who is really in charge?
⚠️ This is about MORE than just one man. This case could decide if future presidents have the power to fire entrenched bureaucrats who refuse to follow orders.
⚠️ The Supreme Court must decide—do we still have an executive branch, or is the presidency just for show?

💥 TRUMP IS FIGHTING FOR THE PRESIDENCY ITSELF—AND THE DEEP STATE IS TERRIFIED. 💥

🚨 WILL THE COURT STAND WITH THE CONSTITUTION OR THE SHADOW GOVERNMENT? 🚨

🚨 TRUMP TAKES ETHICS WATCHDOG FIGHT TO THE SUPREME COURT—EXECUTIVE POWER ON THE LINE! 🚨

🔴 The Biden-era deep state is fighting to keep control of federal oversight, and President Trump is NOT backing down.

🔴 The administration is taking the battle over Hampton Dellinger,… pic.twitter.com/JEY7dEZgel

— Jim Ferguson (@JimFergusonUK) February 17, 2025