A federal judge reined in President Donald Trump’s firing spree Monday, ruling that a federal ethics watchdog can return to his job for at least a few days while the judge receives more detailed legal arguments about the case.

"While administrative stays are more common in appellate courts, district courts have recognized their applicability in cases seeking emergency relief—including in this District," U.S. District Senior Judge Amy Berman Jackson wrote in a minute order temporarily reinstating Hampton Dellinger as special counsel of the Office of Special Counsel.

A federal judge has reinstated the head of a federal ethics agency after President Donald Trump tried to quietly fire him, marking the latest in a series of illegal terminations attempted by the Trump administration.