The Supreme Court of the United States could rule as early as Tuesday|Joe Ravi|CC BY-SA 3.0
President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court justices to expand his executive authority and allow him to fire Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal agency that protects whistleblowers.
Trump’s administration fired Dellinger this month, who then sued, arguing leaders of independent agencies are protected against removal by the president.
A DC judge temporarily reinstated Dellinger, ruling that Trump likely violated the law. On Saturday, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit rejected Trump’s request to block the lower court order.
White House argues that blocking Trump’s firing powers “irreparably harm the Presidency” and cites past rulings expanding executive authority, including Trump’s 2024 immunity decision.
SCOTUS could rule as early as Tuesday, setting an early precedent for how far Trump can go in overhauling the federal government.