In February 2025, Hampton Dellinger, head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, sued Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent after being fired without cause, arguing his removal violated a statute allowing dismissal only for "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance." Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued a temporary restraining order on February 12 to keep him in place, making the case the first of President Trump's second term to reach the Supreme Court. On February 21, the Supreme Court allowed the short-lived order to stand, with Justices Sotomayor and Jackson voting to outright deny the administration's request, while Gorsuch and Alito dissented. A subsequent District Court ruling emphasized the Office's need for independence to protect whistleblowers, but the D.C. Circuit lifted that injunction on March 5, permitting the firing to take effect. Dellinger dropped his lawsuit the next day, officially ending the legal battle.