Hampton Dellinger, leader of the Office of Special Counsel, has decided to step down amidst a legal battle to prevent his dismissal. Recently, his office obtained a temporary order reinstating thousands of Department of Agriculture workers affected by mass layoffs.
However, an appeals court supported President Donald J. Trump’s rationale for dismissing Dellinger, placing him on hold during the legal process. Previously, a lower court had backed Dellinger’s claim that the President exceeded his authority. Throughout his brief reinstatement, he concentrated on scrutinizing the terminations of federal employees with probationary status who were relatively new to their roles.
On Thursday, the Joe Biden appointee claimed that his battle to retain his position was driven by a desire to maintain the Office of Special Counsel’s supposed independence. He stated that the appellate court’s ruling had “effectively erased” that.
Following his departure, the future of ongoing investigations led by Dellinger remains uncertain. However, the quasi-judicial Merit Systems Protection Board has also been resisting Trump administration layoffs, reversing the dismissal of over 5,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) workers in recent days.
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