President Donald Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to allow him to fire the head of an independent ethics agency that protects whistleblower federal employees.

He has filed an emergency appeal to the country’s highest court to rule on whether he can fire Hampton Dellinger, head of the US Office of Special Counsel.

It is thought to be the first case related to Trump’s blizzard of executive actions to reach the highest court.

Trump has also cut more than a dozen inspectors general at various federal agencies and fired thousands of employees across the US government.