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last mo.

Federal Watchdog Drops Legal Challenge to Trump Firing

Hampton Dellinger ends his lawsuit after appeals court allows his removal, citing long odds of success at the Supreme Court.

Special Counsel of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger poses for a portrait in an undated handout image. U.S. Office of Special Counsel/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
U.S. President Donald Trump makes an announcement about an investment from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 3, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo
U.S. President Barack Obama gestures while nominating Patricia Ann Millett (R), an appellate lawyer, to become a federal judge, during an event in the Rose Garden at the White House June 4, 2013 in Washington, DC.
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Overview

  • Hampton Dellinger, head of the Office of Special Counsel, was fired by President Trump in February and initially reinstated by a lower court ruling.
  • The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled on Wednesday to temporarily allow Dellinger's removal while the case continues, prompting him to drop his legal challenge.
  • Dellinger argued that his removal undermines the independence of the Office of Special Counsel, which protects whistleblowers and federal employees from retaliation.
  • The case raised questions about presidential authority to remove officials with statutory protections, with potential implications for the 1935 Humphrey's Executor precedent.
  • Dellinger's decision leaves unresolved broader legal challenges to Trump's efforts to reshape the federal workforce through mass firings and removal of agency heads.