A United States’ judge on Saturday declared President Donald Trump’s firing of the head of a federal watchdog agency illegal.

District Judge, Amy Berman Jackson in Washington had previously ruled that Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel who is responsible for protecting whistleblowers, could remain in his post pending a ruling.

Jackson stated that his efforts to protect federal employees generally, and whistleblowers in particular, from unlawful treatment will continue.

According to lawyers for the Trump administration, the order keeping Dellinger in place is an encroachment on Trump’s authority over officials serving in his administration.

Jackson, who was named to the bench by President Barack Obama, rejected the argument, saying that the statute is unconstitutional and that the Special Counsel’s job is to review unethical or unlawful practices directed at federal civil servants and help whistleblowers act without suffering reprisals.

“It would be ironic, to say the least, and inimical to the ends furthered by the statute if the Special Counsel himself could be chilled in his work by fear of arbitrary or partisan removal,” Jackson wrote.

The Trump administration had previously urged the US Supreme Court, which has already delayed a ruling in the case, to get involved earlier this week.

The US president has also requested to rein in the independence of federal agencies like the Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Communications Commission and a ruling in Dellinger’s case could help determine the extent of his authority to do so.

Jackson said her ruling was extremely narrow and did not diminish Trump’s powers.

Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris said earlier that Dellinger’s continued work as special counsel was harming the Trump administration, pointing to Dellinger’s role on Tuesday in halting the firings of six probationary government workers the administration had sought to fire.

Jackson said in her ruling Saturday that upholding Trump’s ability to fire Dellinger would give him a constitutional license to bully officials in the executive branch into doing his will.

US judge declares Trump’s firing of watchdog agency head illegal