The Trump administration’s first major legal showdown has reached the Supreme Court, as President Donald Trump filed an emergency application on Sunday.
Trump seeks authority to dismiss Hampton Dellinger, head of the Office of Special Counsel, after a lower court ordered his reinstatement.
Dellinger, appointed by President Joe Biden, sued after Trump removed him in February. Although reinstated temporarily, the administration argues this case represents an unprecedented challenge to the separation of powers. Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris claimed no court in U.S. history has forced a president to retain an agency head against his will.
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the temporary order, and Trump’s petition asks the Supreme Court to end such judicial interference. His administration has faced multiple restraining orders on executive actions.
