Legal Action

Hampton Dellinger sued the Trump administration for unlawfully removing him from his position as Special Counsel and Head of the U..S Office of Special Counsel. Dellinger was removed from his position in an email sent on behalf of President Donald Trump, even though he was entitled to continue serving his five-year term in office and could only be removed if he had demonstrated inefficiency or neglect of duty. Dellinger argues his termination violates the Administrative Procedure Act, as well as the separation of powers defined in the Constitution.

On Mar. 1, 2025, a district court entered an order granting plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment. An appeal ensued, culminating with the circuit court’s decision to stay the lower court’s decision. An application for stay was filed before the Supreme Court, but was denied as moot after plaintiff moved to drop his challenge in this case.