In a significant legal ruling, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson declared that the head of the federal watchdog agency, Hampton Dellinger, must retain his position, deeming President Donald Trump’s attempt to remove the special counsel as unlawful. The legal battle over the president’s authority to dismiss the independent agency head is likely to return to the U.S. Supreme Court. Dellinger, who leads the Office of Special Counsel, filed a lawsuit against Trump after his firing, asserting that special counsels can only be removed for specific reasons such as inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office, as stated by the law.

Judge Jackson reinstated Dellinger in his role, emphasizing the importance of the special counsel’s independence to carry out crucial duties, including safeguarding federal employees from illegal personnel actions like retaliation for whistleblowing. The ruling highlighted the significance of the special counsel’s role in upholding job protections for federal employees and whistleblowers, stressing the need for independence to ensure employees feel safe in reporting government wrongdoing without fear of reprisal.

The Justice Department plans to challenge the ruling in Washington’s federal appeals court, escalating a legal dispute that has already reached the Supreme Court once. Dellinger’s case also involves challenging the removal of probationary workers affected by the Trump administration’s government overhaul. Dellinger, appointed by President Joe Biden, expressed gratitude for the court’s affirmation of the job protections provided for his position and affirmed his commitment to defending federal employees and whistleblowers from unlawful treatment.