Federal judge stops Musk's DOGE from dismantling USAID
The process is likely violating the US Constitution, the ruling states. A US federal judge has mandated that the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, halt its efforts to dismantle the US Agency for International Development...
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The process is likely violating the US Constitution, the ruling states.
A US federal judge has mandated that the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, halt its efforts to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
USAID, which oversees civilian foreign aid and development assistance, has come under scrutiny for its involvement in political influence operations globally. Musk has claimed that the agency allocates billions of taxpayer dollars to projects that are either ineffective or harmful to American interests.
In a ruling issued on Tuesday, Justice Theodore Chuang of the District of Maryland instructed DOGE to restore access to USAID employees for the agency’s computer systems and banned the public disclosure of their personal information.
Chuang described the ongoing dismantling overseen by DOGE as “likely” infringing on the constitutional principle of separation of powers. While he ordered a suspension of the process, he did not reverse the terminations of former employees, a request made by the plaintiffs.
State Democracy Defenders Action, the nonprofit organization representing USAID employees in the legal matter, welcomed the ruling as “an important victory against Elon Musk and his DOGE attack,” arguing that Musk’s team is “performing surgery with a chainsaw instead of a scalpel.”
Musk has earlier referred to court rulings that hinder DOGE as “an attempted coup of American democracy by radical left activists posing as judges,” calling for consequences for individuals who make “truly terrible decisions.”
The rhetoric from Musk and members of former President Donald Trump’s administration has drawn criticism from the American Bar Association, which condemned the government’s “disconcerting pattern” of political attacks on the judiciary and pledged to oppose efforts to “remake the legal profession” into a domain of compliance.
Chuang, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014, previously ruled against the Trump administration in cases during his first presidential term, including the controversial travel ban targeting individuals from Muslim-majority countries and a requirement for women seeking abortion pills to obtain them in person. Both decisions were later overturned by the US Supreme Court.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
A US federal judge has mandated that the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, halt its efforts to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
USAID, which oversees civilian foreign aid and development assistance, has come under scrutiny for its involvement in political influence operations globally. Musk has claimed that the agency allocates billions of taxpayer dollars to projects that are either ineffective or harmful to American interests.
In a ruling issued on Tuesday, Justice Theodore Chuang of the District of Maryland instructed DOGE to restore access to USAID employees for the agency’s computer systems and banned the public disclosure of their personal information.
Chuang described the ongoing dismantling overseen by DOGE as “likely” infringing on the constitutional principle of separation of powers. While he ordered a suspension of the process, he did not reverse the terminations of former employees, a request made by the plaintiffs.
State Democracy Defenders Action, the nonprofit organization representing USAID employees in the legal matter, welcomed the ruling as “an important victory against Elon Musk and his DOGE attack,” arguing that Musk’s team is “performing surgery with a chainsaw instead of a scalpel.”
Musk has earlier referred to court rulings that hinder DOGE as “an attempted coup of American democracy by radical left activists posing as judges,” calling for consequences for individuals who make “truly terrible decisions.”
The rhetoric from Musk and members of former President Donald Trump’s administration has drawn criticism from the American Bar Association, which condemned the government’s “disconcerting pattern” of political attacks on the judiciary and pledged to oppose efforts to “remake the legal profession” into a domain of compliance.
Chuang, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014, previously ruled against the Trump administration in cases during his first presidential term, including the controversial travel ban targeting individuals from Muslim-majority countries and a requirement for women seeking abortion pills to obtain them in person. Both decisions were later overturned by the US Supreme Court.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
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