Judge temporarily reinstates fired ethics watchdog

A federal judge Monday granted a temporary reprieve to the head of the Office of Special Counsel, who filed a lawsuit claiming President Donald Trump fired him illegally.

Hampton Dellinger, the head of the agency, received a termination email Friday night and filed the federal lawsuit Monday.

“That email made no attempt to comply with the Special Counsel’s for-cause removal protection,” the lawsuit reads. “It stated simply: ‘On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Special Counsel of the US Office of Special Counsel is terminated, effective immediately.’"

The agency investigates whistleblower retaliation and enforces ethics laws like the Hatch Act. It is not related to the similarly named special counsel offices within the Justice Department that prosecute politically sensitive criminal cases.

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Late Monday, a judge issued an order that did not rule on the merits of the lawsuit but said Dellinger should stay in his role through at least midnight Thursday while the judge gets more detailed legal arguments about the case.

In a written statement, Dellinger said: “I am grateful to have the opportunity to continue leading the Office of Special Counsel and I am resuming my work tonight.”

The Justice Department appealed the judge's order.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com