Judge Temporarily Reinstates Whistleblower Office Head Fired by Trump

Federal judge blocks President Trump's dismissal of Hampton Dellinger, citing legal protections for independent agency heads.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued a temporary restraining order reinstating Hampton Dellinger as head of the Office of Special Counsel after his dismissal by President Trump.
The Trump administration argued that the president has the authority to fire independent agency heads, but the judge highlighted a 1978 law requiring cause for such removals.
Dellinger, a Biden appointee confirmed by the Senate last year for a five-year term, oversees whistleblower protections and investigations into government corruption.
The case is part of broader legal challenges to Trump's efforts to exert greater control over federal agencies by dismissing multiple independent officials without cause.
A full hearing on Dellinger's dismissal is scheduled for February 26, with potential implications for the independence of federal oversight bodies.