Judge Extends Block on White House’s Firing of Watchdog Official

Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson said on Feb. 26 that she is extending a block on the firing of special counsel Hampton Dellinger. The block was set to expire at midnight on Feb. 26 but is extended to March 1 while the judge considers new developments in the case. President Donald Trump removed Dellinger as head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), a watchdog agency, on Feb. 7. Dellinger sued in response, noting that his term is meant to last five years, and that he cannot be removed except for “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” Jackson issued a temporary block on his removal, and the administration filed an appeal, which was dismissed on Feb. 12 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit....