The federal judge’s decision blocks Trump from removing Hampton Dellinger as head of the Office of Special Counsel and sets up a likely Supreme Court battle over the president’s powers.

A Washington, D.C., appeals court has permitted President Donald Trump to remove the head of a federal watchdog agency amid litigation.

A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit sided with the Trump administration in allowing the immediate removal of Hampton Dellinger from the Office of Special Counsel while arguments continue over the legality of Dellinger's firing.