What to know about Trump’s appeal to the Supreme Court

President Donald Trump is heading to the Supreme Court for the first time in his second term, using an emergency appeal to call on the justices to let him fire the head of a government ethics watchdog agency.

President Donald Trump is heading to the Supreme Court for the first time in his second term, using an emergency appeal to call on the justices to let him fire the head of a government ethics watchdog agency. The case, Bessent v. Dellinger, could eventually help clarify whether Congress may create independent agencies that are protected from the whims of the White House, or whether presidents can fire anyone seen as a potential critic. It arrives at a moment when Trump is attempting to consolidate power within the federal government, summarily dismissing federal officials who might challenge him and attempting to freeze federal funding that Congress has required to be spent. Here’s a look at the case and why it matters: At the center of the dispute is Hampton Dellinger, who President Joe Biden named in 2023 to lead the Office of Special Counsel for a five-year term. He was confirmed by the Senate early last year. The Office of Special Counsel – which is unrelated to special counsels like Jack Smith or Robert Mueller who are appointed to oversee politically sensitive Justice Department investigations – handles allegations of whistleblower retaliation and is an independent agency. Created during the Carter administration, Congress made clear the special counsel could be removed “by the president only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.”