Trump DOJ hits judge with stay of stay over Dellinger firing
Left: President Donald Trump gives remarks during an event celebrating the 2024 Stanley Cup Champion the Florida Panthers in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Monday, February 3, 2025 (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images). Center: WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 13: U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson listens during the investiture ceremony for U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden April 13, 2018 at the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images). Right: Hampton Dellinger (Office of Special Counsel).

In Washington, D.C., a federal judge recently provided support to Hampton Dellinger, an ethics enforcer for President Biden, in the face of potential conflict with the Supreme Court. The Trump administration has been attempting to remove Dellinger from his position at the Office of Special Counsel.

During a hearing, the judge did not hold back in criticizing Justice Department attorneys representing President Trump. They were arguing against U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s decision to extend a temporary restraining order (TRO) that allowed Dellinger to remain in his role. The judge pointed out that the DOJ lawyers were basing their case on a very specific exception – the idea that presidential authority prevails over established norms.

The judge was straightforward in his assessment of the situation, highlighting that the Trump administration’s stance revolves around the belief that presidential power supersedes all else. This legal battle underscores an ongoing struggle between the current and previous administrations over the position held by Dellinger, raising the stakes for a potential confrontation that could involve the Supreme Court.

“So what Congress has done, and what presidents of the United States have done, is irrelevant — it’s only what the current president wants?” Jackson, a Barack Obama appointee, asked DOJ lawyer Madeline McMahon during the Wednesday morning hearing.

“That’s how we define articles of power now?” she added.

McMahon argued that as president, and as part of his Article II authority, Trump “is able to remove the special counsel for any reason at all” and he has the power to “supervise the entirety of the executive branch,” meaning he can “remove his direct subordinates for any reason at all.” Jackson, however, feels that Dellinger, as a bipartisan ethics enforcer who has “rule-reading authority” but not “rule-making authority,” is an exception — and she let McMahon know it Wednesday.

You May Also Like

Trump achieves significant victory in a lawsuit involving the Alien Enemies Act.

President Donald Trump smiles as he speaks in the Oval Office of…

Podcaster who covers criminal cases convicted of threatening authorities

Background: News footage of Ashli Ford outside of court (WTOL). Inset: The…

“Failed Murder Attempts: Lawyer’s Wife Survives Three Attacks”

Fred Wortman (Tennessee Department of Correction). A Tennessee lawyer will remain behind…

Head of Haitian orphanage sentenced to 210 years in prison for mistreating children

Michael Geilenfeld in 2024 (U.S. Embassy in Haiti) A Colorado man has…

Police say a man lit a house on fire after shooting his father and brother.

News footage captured the scene at a home in Gig Harbor, Wash.,…

Kagan strongly criticizes Trump and SCOTUS in passionate disagreement on removal of leaders

Left: Justice Elena Kagan listening to President Donald Trump’s address before a…

Police catch man trying to get sex from a minor at Chick-fil-A

Share copy link Background: A Chik-fil-A restaurant in Collegedale, Tenn. (Google Maps).…

Roberts Approves Trump’s Request to Maintain DOGE’s Anonymity

Left: Then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump watches a video screen at a…