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Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supreme Court won't let Trump immediately fire whistleblower chief as legal challenge plays out
The Supreme Court won't let Donald Trump remove an ethics watchdog until at least next week as the president and Elon Musk try to gut federal agencies and fire thousands of workers. Friday's split decision marked the first of what is expected to be many rulings from the nation's high court involving the administration's sledgehammer decision-making, which is facing an avalanche of lawsuits alleging an unconstitutional abuse of power. Hampton Dellinger, the top official at the independent U.S. agency that protects government whistleblowers and enforces ethics rules, sued the administration earlier this month after he received an email from the president simply stating that his role is 'terminated, effective immediately.' Dellinger, who leads the Office of Special Counsel, is mounting one of at least three legal challenges from government officials testing the president's authority to oust the heads of independent agencies. The Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court after an appeals court decision on February 15 rejected Trump's request to override a lower-court order that blocked him from firing Dellinger, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden. The Supreme Court's brief and unusual ruling on Friday did not grant or deny the relief requested by the Trump administration. Instead, the justices held Trump's request 'in abeyance' — they will let the case play out in the lower court before making a decision. A hearing in that court is scheduled for February 26. Liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson noted that they would have denied Trump's request. Conservative Justices Neil Gorsuch and Justice Clarence Thomas would have granted it. Gorsuch claimed that the lower-court judge 'effectively commanded the president and other executive branch officials to recognize and work with someone whom the president sought to remove from office.' Trump's mass purges, agency shutdowns and attempts to block federal funding, as well as other executive actions targeting transgender Americans and birthright citizenship, have been met with more than three dozen lawsuits from federal workers, state officials, nonprofit groups and civil rights attorneys, among others, across the country. The administration's request to the Supreme Court arrived one day after Trump wrote what appeared to be a declaration that he does not believe he can break any law. 'He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,' the president wrote on Truth Social and X. Days later, he declared himself 'king,' and the White House shared images of the president wearing a crown. 'I always abide by the courts, and then I'll have to appeal it. But then what he's done is he's slowed down the momentum, and it gives crooked people more time to cover up the books,' Trump said from the Oval Office earlier this month. 'So yeah, the answer is, I always abide by the courts, always abide by them, and we'll appeal, but appeals take a long time,' he added. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also told reporters this month that the administration 'will comply with these orders but it is also the administration's position that we will ultimately be vindicated.'
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump suggests no laws violated if he ‘saves' country
President Trump said over the weekend his work to 'save' the country gives him legal leeway. 'He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,' Trump posted Saturday to Truth Social and X. The phrase is attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, who declared himself French emperor in the early 1800s. Trump's post drew quick criticism from Democrats, who argued it was another instance of the president likening his executive authority to authoritarianism. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) reposted Trump's comment and said it was 'spoken like a true dictator.' Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) also expressed concern. 'Donald Trump seems to believe he can do whatever he wishes in the name of 'saving the country,'' Torres said online. 'In our constitutional republic, the means matter more than the ends. The US Constitution trumps the policy preferences of President Trump.' Trump doubled down on the Napoleon reference on Sunday, reposting an image of the French emperor riding into battle with the text 'He who saves his country violates no law' overlaid. The posts come just days after the Trump administration tangled with the court system over its extensive changes. Federal judges have blocked some of Trump's sweeping executive actions, including freezing federal grants and loans, deconstructing the U.S. International Agency for Development (USAID) and birthright citizenship. Trump and his allies have pushed back on the judges' temporary holds, arguing they should respect the power of the executive branch. Still, Republican lawmakers are urging Trump to respect the rulings, worried that if he disregards them, it will send the country into a constitutional crisis. Trump's posts were not the first time he's expressed similar views. In late 2023, Trump said he would be a dictator in office only on the first day. He's also increased communication and exchanged pleasantries with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Updated at 10:33 a.m. EST Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
