A federal judge in Washington blocked for now President Donald Trump from removing the head of an independent US agency that protects government whistleblowers.
In a temporary restraining order issued Wednesday night, US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson found that Trump’s removal of Hampton Dellinger on Feb. 7 from the US Office of Special Counsel “plainly” went against US law. The administration didn’t provide any reason for his firing, even though the law requires that the person in that position could only be removed “for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office,” the judge said.
“This language expresses Congress’s clear intent to ensure the independence of the Special Counsel and insulate his work from being buffeted by the winds of political change,” Jackson wrote.
The US Justice Department alerted Jackson that it would appeal her order shortly after she entered it. A department spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.
The Standard Channel
Trump has sought to remake the federal government since he took office last month, citing government efficiency as the driving force behind plans to dramatically cut the workforce, close agencies, slash spending and remove senior officials. But his actions have drawn dozens of lawsuits challenging the moves as unconstitutional and unlawful executive power grabs.
Dellinger was nominated by former President Joe Biden to lead the special counsel office and was confirmed by the US...
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