Supreme Court Doesn’t Step In: President Trump Still Blocked From Firing Watchdog Head

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In another legal drama episode involving President Trump, the Supreme Court has chosen not to step in.

This leaves in place a lower court’s decision that temporarily blocks President Trump’s attempt to fire Hampton Dellinger.

He’s the head of the Office of Special Counsel.

This means Dellinger stays on the job for now.

So, what’s the deal, Supreme Court?

The Court’s decision not to intervene allows the temporary restraining order to remain in effect until at least February 26.

That’s when a hearing is scheduled to determine the next steps.

So this ain’t over yet, folks.

NBC News reports:

The Supreme Court on Friday for now prevented President Donald Trump from firing the head of a watchdog agency in the first legal showdown to reach the justices over the administration’s efforts to dramatically remake the federal government.

In an unusual, tentative move, the court neither granted nor denied an emergency request filed by the Trump administration after lower courts had blocked the effort to fire Hampton Dellinger, who heads the Office of Special Counsel.

Instead, in a brief order, the court said it would not immediately act because lower court proceedings are moving quickly. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 26.

The court, which said it was holding the Trump request “in abeyance,” could act after that.

Two justices, liberals Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson said they would have denied the application outright, while of the court’s conservatives — Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Clarence Thomas — said they would have granted it.

Gorsuch wrote that a federal judge “effectively commanded the president and other executive branch officials to recognize and work with someone whom the president sought to remove from office.”

Trump wants to install Doug Collins, the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, as acting head of the agency.



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